[meteorite-list] Meteorites & Competition

From: Dave Gheesling <dave_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:21:52 -0500
Message-ID: <D668E5E332DF43EB9C9F4DB6DF3CCF38_at_meteorroom>

For whatever its worth, I've disagreed with both Adam and Eric on many
occasions, and I'm quite certain both have disagreed with me before as well.
That said, I thought Adam's post was superb, though the semantics
("corporate involvement," to reference just one point) may have been
confusing.

Eric, you wrote: "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".

Not sure who the arbiter is for such matters, but let's assume it's you.
The IMCA would not exist if the integrity of the meteorite world were so
pristine, and there's no use jamming up bandwidth with examples. And to
think that this arena understands marketing and packaging of these rarest of
rocks on Earth is, well, profoundly off base.

The we have the horrifying notion of profit. Profits are derived from
offering products that prospective customers need or want at a price (that
exceeds the costs of providing the product) deemed a value by said
prospective customers. In other words, they will, on their own volition,
pay the individual or entity for the act of procuring or developing then
providing said product. Of course there is corporate corruption; yet there
is corruption everywhere...even in the world of meteorites (thank you IMCA
for addressing that). Anyway, would such undoubtedly evil, profit-motivated
entities not prefer that public (read: customers) access to meteorites, if
anything, be expanded?

Then you wrote: "My personal beliefs are that people should have free access
to the knowledge and information that meteorites and astronomy provides."

And...?

Then lastly: "The word "corporate" to me means restrictive for profit..."

Wikipedia?

Oh, goodness...

Dave
www.fallingrocks.com

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Meteorites
USA
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 1:41 PM
To: Adam Hupe
Cc: Adam
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorites & Competition

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
> ______________________________________________
> http://www.meteoritecentral.com
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
>

______________________________________________
http://www.meteoritecentral.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Received on Sun 15 Nov 2009 02:21:52 PM PST