[meteorite-list] Allende meteorite selling for around $40 a gram!!!

From: Doug Ross <doug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:37:39 -0800
Message-ID: <2F1470C3-C850-4AAF-9491-E8615022C7CF_at_dougross.net>

Hi Shawn,

I attended the Bonham's auction yesterday, and I was indeed shocked by the bidding war over that Allende piece. On the other hand, I was equally shocked by the many other meteorites which went unsold, despite low starting bids in some cases. A 910mg slice of lunar Dhofar 1180 didn't even attract any bids, starting at $500! I should have bought that one....

Darryl and Mike are right, these results must be aberrations. I am often mystified by auction house sale results, both high and low. Considering the typical 25% buyer's premium (+10% CA sales tax in this case), I don't see how such auctions can offer customers consistent value. We all like to complain about ebay, but by comparison, traditional auction houses just don't look competitive to me at all.

Doug Ross
Received on Tue 13 Dec 2011 01:37:39 AM PST