[meteorite-list] Apollo Moon rock sample on eBay?

From: Steve Schoner <schoner_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 06:10:13 GMT
Message-ID: <20110203.231013.19855.0_at_webmail09.dca.untd.com>

As much as I know it is illegal to even present an item such as this rock on Ebay as an authentic Apollo recovered moon rock. Even if it is not, just to state that it is is enough to have it confiscated by the U.S. Government.

A case in point was a recent desk mount with a pen holder that had a molded plastic transparent rock that supposedly had Apollo recovered lunar dust and sand sized rock particles in it. It was being auctioned at a major auction house and was taken down when the U.S. Government confiscated it. It was tested and from what I recall returned to the owner(s)as it could not be confirmed as authentic.

And that was the end of that as a salable piece.

However, the Terry Slezak Apollo 11 Moon Dust tape IS authentic. And as much as I know it is the only Apollo 11 lunar material that is available for the public to own. The entire poster board with the Moon dust tape,some foil from the Apollo 11, the label from Magazine S that Armstrong dropped, a note that Buzz Aldrin wrote on the moon, and the Apollo 11 crew signatures, was included in an auction that Mr. Florian Noller won sometime in 2001. This tape was then sectioned into small triangles, each having particles of moon dust on them, which he then sold under his company "Spaceflori."

It is the real deal. I know because I won one of these Apollo "Moon Dust" tape presentations on Ebay a few years ago. I could not believe the low price I won it at. It was a real loss to the seller, but he honored the deal. I remember that it was brought up on this MetList and there was much doubt of it's authenticity. But I knew otherwise, having previously followed the sale of the Slezak tape in a Space artifacts auction held 2001.

Under a high power microscope there is no doubt in my mind that it is the real thing. I communicated with Mr. Noller in Germany and he remembered the person that I obtained it from. He was amazed at the low price that I obtained it in the Ebay auction, stating that Ebay is not the place to auction such artifacts.

Here is my Apollo 11 "Moon Dust" tape--- the real deal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C3lPlmpoKo

But...

As for the suspected Apollo moon rock being offered on Ebay. If NASA finds out about the auction it will be taken down by court order if Ebay refuses. That I do know.

Steve Schoner



It was in fact proven to have been presented to Mr. Slezak

Message: 12
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 20:35:21 -0500
From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Apollo Moon rock sample on eBay?
To: Walter Branch <waltbranch at bellsouth.net>
Cc: Meteorite-list List <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Message-ID:
        <AANLkTim8GV1m7mLqLFyhiM1qxYP6_pKB6ObiJ10w4tqc at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi Walt and List,

Thanks for reminding me about the camera cartridge dust. I had
forgotten about that. AFAIK, that is the only legal Apollo lunar
material on the market. I've love to own one of those little pieces
of tape with dust on it, but the asking price is too rich for my
blood. I'll have to settle for a small micro of NWA 482. :)

I guess one of us could report the auction to eBay, but I doubt they
will pull the auction down. I gave up on reporting things to eBay,
since they never listen to me.

Best regards,

MikeG


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Received on Fri 04 Feb 2011 01:10:13 AM PST