[meteorite-list] Meteorites & Competition

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:41:07 -0800
Message-ID: <4B004B43.3010202_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Hi Adam,

I'm curios what you mean by "corporate involvement" when it concerns
meteorites? With regards to the IMCA I am in partial agreement, and
believe they are a good organization, and needed in this industry. But
some restraint needs to be had with regard to the influence that these
types of groups have. Historically speaking such groups tend to lean
toward their own motives over time. There has been no organization in
the history of man that has not given in, at least partially, to the
temptation such influence.

If you mean some sort of sponsorship of certain outreach and educational
programs geared toward teaching children and young adults about
astronomy and meteorites then I'm game. But if corporate involvement
means losing the personality and integrity of the meteorite world
through increased tampering by larger groups and politically or profit
motivated companies who might in future times limit the publics access
to meteorites then I'm not for that at all. This is a slippery slope...

My personal beliefs are that people should have free access to the
knowledge and information that meteorites and astronomy provides. The
word "corporate" to me means restrictive for profit, and an example
would be the corporate mentality of profit before people. I'm not
necessarily referring to monetary profit, but rather to the increased
influence particular groups may have over access to knowledge and
information through the study of meteorites by individuals and the
limited access that some scientific institutions have applied to certain
collections. Collections that in my opinion every human being on the
planet should have access to. Not to fondle and ogle the collection, but
to view, study and learn.

I'm not attacking here, I'm simply voicing a concern and my belief in
the free access to knowledge that needs to be preserved.

Thanks for listening...

Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA


Adam Hupe wrote:
> Dear List,
>
>
> I think it is crazy to talk about corporate greed and meteorites at the same time. There are much simpler ways of earning money than chasing and selling meteorites. You have to have a love for these rocks to engage at this level. The overhead is astonishing while the returns are unpredictable in an incredibly thin market. Risk management doesn't exist.
>
> I believe more corporate involvement is needed to push this avocation to the next level. The IMCA is a perfect example of a positive corporate influence on a mostly misunderstood hobby. What lacks the most right now is customer service and value added reselling. Most new dealers do not even polish out the saw marks on slices, let alone polish both sides. Collectors pay for both sides of a complete slice, not just one. It is disrespectful to cut a meteorite and then not complete the job. A good polish is more important for reasons beyond aesthetics. Certification is the most important aspect of collecting and is consistently lacking when dealing with meteorites. One just needs to look at coins, baseball cards and most other collectibles to see they are nearly worthless without it.
>
> In virtually ever other collectibles market, there are standards in place thanks to corporate interest. These days, some uninformed elements treat meteorites like commodities that are renewable. Nothing could be further from the truth. The lack of appreciation for these rarities is really on full display during these hard times. People forget that meteorites are millions of time rarer than gold that currently maintains a price of around $35.00/gram. May I remind you that now only about 1/20th the amount of meteorites by weight is all that is coming out of Moroccan compared to just five years ago according to my calculations. It will not be long before the non-available Antarctic meteorites regain the volume title once again.
>
> I do appreciate the real nomadic meteorite hunters from Morocco and surrounding countries. In my opinion, they are the best in world. It is what happens to meteorites after they leave the finders hands that concerns me.
>
> Standards, proper appreciation and corporate involvement are key to the long-term future. I see a business-like environment helping in all of these regards. Collectors deserve to have their investments protected.
>
> All the best,
>
> Adam
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Received on Sun 15 Nov 2009 01:41:07 PM PST