[meteorite-list] NWA meteorites, TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:48:18 +0200
Message-ID: <006101cb491b$8dc650c0$a952f240$_at_de>

Hi Shawn,

I think, you can answer some of your questions by yourself.

Outstretch your arm. On your extended arm look on the tip of your little
finger.
The finger nail of your pinky is the Earth.

Imagine, your room has no walls - or go in the garden.

250 yards away from your fingernail, that's where the meteorites come from.


So it's possibly not so important, where exactly on your fingernail they
will hit.


...and as strained you'll squint your eyes,
it's impossible to match a Shawn, a Mike, an Aziz, a Martin, a Bevan... on
your nail :-)


Best!
Martin



-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Shawn
Alan
Gesendet: Dienstag, 31. August 2010 03:25
An: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Betreff: [meteorite-list] NWA meteorites, TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

Hello Listers,
?
I was doing?an Internet search today on meteorites?and came?across?a write
up?about NWA meteorites. I would have to say it was a good write up
considering there isn't much about the history of NWA's on the Internet. The
write up?covered topics from?the NWA gold rush, to how this affected sales
and peoples desert meteorite collections, and how NWA meteorites?by some can
be seen as?inferior to?other meteorites. All these points do bring?up some
interesting view?points in the meteorite?community. I wonder what peoples
take is on?NWA meteorites and how the classification?works or doesn't work
with some finds?
?
Why I ask this is because?some of the NWA meteorites on eBay are NWA xxx
meteorites, meaning those meteorites haven't been classified and probably
wont. Now to me for every NWA meteorite excluding the Lunar and Martian
meteorites could be almost unique in its owe if there is only a select few
people that get these stones classified, making the NWA meteorite market
confusing and regulated by only classifying certain meteorites and
disregarding others. And as for selling?NWA meteorites how does one
determine the price point when?the TKW and location is unknown??
?
Is it to be or not to be when collecting NWA meteorites..... this draw back
could affect the classification and make it more confusing compared to finds
in the US and Europe. If I went to the Muffin strewn field and found some
meteorites, I wouldn't have to get them classified? because of the
documentation of a fall being there. But on the other hand, if I went to
Africa and found some meteorites I would be SOL and the only way I could
know what the meteorite was is if I got it classified, which I am not sure
how much that costs, but I bet it can be a pretty penny depending what your
getting done on it.
?
Now could this be a problem in some peoples eyes why they think NWA's might
be questionable because locations cant be accountable? And from a collectors
stand point what features does one collect NWA's? From my take it seems like
that?some?NWA meteorite are unique in its own way by rarity or uniqueness
cause of lack there of, and because of the way NWA's are collected, cant
this affecting price point and investment for ones collection?
?
Here is an abstract from the write up about NWA's
?

NWAs: Second Class Meteorites?

By Norbert Classen, May 2003

On the collector's market, the prices of most Northwest African meteorites
are still dropping while witnessed falls and historic specimens are getting
more expensive. Are NWA meteorites less valuable, or is it a subliminal form
of chauvinism making some people treat them like second class meteorites?

The NWA Dilemma

In the late 1990s, an increasing number of meteorites from the hot deserts
of northwest Africa hit the market, most of them having been recovered by
so-called "nomads", i.e. by native people from Morocco and Western Sahara.
After having acquired several meteorites at the local markets, the French
fossil hunters, Bruno Fectay and Carine Bidaut, started to educate their
local team not only to look for fossils, but also for meteorites - with
great success.
?
link
http://www.meteorite.fr/en/news/feature.htm
?
NWA, to be or not to be?
?
Shawn Alan
IMCA 1633
eBaystore
http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p
4340
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Received on Tue 31 Aug 2010 10:48:18 AM PDT