[meteorite-list] Another meteorite millionaire wannabe

From: Greg Catterton <star_wars_collector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 12:20:21 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <379792.66573.qm_at_web46404.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>

Hi Adam, you raised some interesting points, I do have a few comments on them.

> I can only imagine what a University who studied these wrongs goes through.

From my experience, it does not take much to weed out wrongs. Recently I got a bag of "Meteorites" that ended up being mostly basalt, Earth rocks and an angrite. Yes, NWA 6291 came from a bag of "This may be a meteorite" material. There were about 20 stones, all but 3 were wrongs, and it only took about an hour to weed out the good from the bad. It really does not take long to tell if something is a meteorite or not.

> I was told that the IMCA is tying up a huge amount of resources on meteorite wrongs these days

Why? This is more of an IMCA issue and I dont want to get into it too much, but why is the IMCA using funds to test wrongs and who is approving the use of this? The is the first I have ever heard of the IMCA helping to identify meteorites and using funds to do so! As a member of the IMCA, I would like to have some say in what the money is being spent on, and testing wrongs is NOT one of the things I would use money on. I can get preliminary testing done for free, why cant anyone else?

> and they certainly will clog up systems. They get way more meteorite wrongs than rights

Any dealings I have had with other resources I use for testing and classification, I provide pictures and usually a thin section when I send it to be checked out.
Surely those that are doing testing can take more steps to reduce the flow. Its very easy to get thin sections made. Perhaps that should be a requirement to test - a thin section from the material and the piece the material came from? Make it to where the "meteorite owner" has to do more then just send the stone off. It will cut the wrongs in half.

> This goes back to the responsibility over ratings thread. These people who are selling meteorite wrongs could care less about the meteorites, only the overemphasized amount of money they may get.

I agree, but also think the same could be said of many true meteorite dealers also. I have said it before but I honestly feel that there are several out there that only see meteorites as a "gold mine alternative" and the next "treasure" available after others have been exhausted or made to where its not worth doing due to laws or restrictions.

This is not me saying there should be no profit made, but when I see such high profits being made... wow. I certain most can sell material at 50% less then they do and still make 200% or more then they paid.
Take Mifflin... $300 per gram for the first few days... why take advantage of peoples desire to have a fresh fall or even if its just to be the first to say "I have a piece"

Anyone who says that was a fair thing to do is just plain wrong. I am very happy to be the first to have publicly offered it for less then half of what anyone else did - and once I did, the price fell. Sure I made some people mad and lost a few contacts... but its ok. I mad just as many people happy to have a piece at a fraction of the cost from anywhere else.

I see meteorites as a cool thing to be a part of and the money is secondary. Always has been, always will be.


Greg Catterton
www.wanderingstarmeteorites.com
IMCA member 4682
On Ebay: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/wanderingstarmeteorites
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WanderingStarMeteorites


--- On Sun, 9/12/10, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Another meteorite millionaire wannabe
> To: "Adam" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Date: Sunday, September 12, 2010, 2:19 PM
> Honestly, meteorite wrongs do clog up
> the system.? I have wasted hundreds of
> hours on them myself. I can only imagine what a University
> who studied these
> wrongs goes through. I was told that the IMCA is tying up a
> huge amount of
> resources on meteorite wrongs these days when only few
> inquiries would come in a
> month when I was on the board.
>
> ASU meteorite services is now closed to the public. If I
> recall properly, they
> even posted an image of a mountain of meteorite wrongs on
> the Rocks from Space
> Picture of the Day not too long ago.? Now they
> announce a discontinuation of
> service.?
>
>
>
> Over 700 a year were coming to ASU if I read this
> properly,
> http://meteorite-identification.com/mwnews/82202.html
>
> WUSTL meteorite wrongs:
> http://meteorites.wustl.edu/meteorwrongs/meteorwrongs.htm
>
> It takes more time to explain why a meteorite wrong is not
> a meteorite than it
> takes to determine what it actually is. Then it has to be
> packaged and sent back
> to the disbelieving owner.? All of this takes
> time.? Multiple it by thousands
> and they certainly will clog up systems.? They get way
> more meteorite wrongs
> than rights so what is tying up more time?? This goes
> back to the responsibility
> over ratings thread. These people who are selling meteorite
> wrongs could care
> less about the meteorites, only the overemphasized amount
> of money they may get.
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Adam
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Greg Catterton <star_wars_collector at yahoo.com>
> To: Adam <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>;
> Adam Hupe
> <raremeteorites at yahoo.com>
> Sent: Sun, September 12, 2010 10:41:24 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Another meteorite millionaire
> wannabe
>
> Another ebay winner!
> I honestly doubt this clogs anything as one look will show
> its not a meteorite.
> >From my experience, Most places that test wont even
> bother with a sample if they
> dont think its a meteorite - thats without even doing any
> testing and just based
> on how it looks.
>
> As many people like this who come out (due to meteorite men
> tv show or not -
> they were here before the show also) there is a great
> impact that the show has
> made. Not once do I go out and as soon as the subject of
> meteorites comes up I
> hear "I saw that show about meteorite men on TV" or
> something close is
> mentioned. The more that see it means the more that are
> interested in it... That
> can only be good over the long run for anyone who sells. I
> usually get 1-2 sales
> per week from people who see the show and go searching on
> the internet for more
> info. I even use the search term "meteorite men" now as it
> does bring hits and
> sales to my website.
>
> hope everyone is good!
>
>
> Greg Catterton
> www.wanderingstarmeteorites.com
> IMCA member 4682
> On Ebay: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/wanderingstarmeteorites
> On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WanderingStarMeteorites
>
>
> --- On Sun, 9/12/10, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> > From: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: [meteorite-list] Another meteorite
> millionaire wannabe
> > To: "Adam" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> > Date: Sunday, September 12, 2010, 1:28 PM
> > Another meteorite millionaire wannabe
> > who watches too much TV, thinks he will
> > become rich beyond belief and won't take no for an
> > answer.? Read his responses
> > to parties inquiring about his $5,000,000.00 auction
> with
> > $1.00 postage.? It
> > must be real, it looks just like what he saw on TV.
> > More negative backlash.? It
> > is idiots like this that clog the classification
> systems
> > with crap.? Expect more
> > laboratories to close their doors as mountains of
> meteorite
> > wrongs come in.
> >
> > Link to auction:
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270631312395
> >
> > Best Regards,
> >
> > Adam
> > ______________________________________________
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Received on Sun 12 Sep 2010 03:20:21 PM PDT