[meteorite-list] A Survey for Collectors

From: Jim Wooddell <jimwooddell_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:17:43 -0700
Message-ID: <AANLkTinJ-VRuVzJXTWYqyUHOFpGntVkm6iA_+7ZiMfXk_at_mail.gmail.com>

Kevin,

I can say that any meteorite found in the USA, in known strewn fields
is undervalued both in "Cha-Ching" as well as scientifically.
The cost of collecting such specimens, such as a simple OC
from...say...Franconia, is a very time consuming, expensive venture.
A typical hunt day can easily cost $150 per day or more not including
man-hours if a hunter's time is worth anything.
Yesterday, for example, a two person hunt at Franconia came up with
one (1) 17.4g OC. So minus the "just getting there" tiime, vehicle
costs, etc., there were 13 man-hours
of on the ground hunting for that one space rock. And, there are
hunts where no one comes up with anything.
Cold finds are even worse! It has been written that 800 man-hours
between any kind of find might not be hard to do. The amount of time
invested is simply worth far more than anyone is paying for them, to
the point of being embarrassing for the industry. Don't quit your day
job doing this...you will starve to death. Anyone can do the math.


So, yes. My opinion is that they are way undervalued to the extreme.
Just my point of view.

Kind Regards,

Jim Wooddell




On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 10:14 AM, Kevin Kichinka <marsrox at gmail.com> wrote:

> 3. What are the most undervalued meteorites or categories of
> meteorite? In what categories do you see the most potential for
> growth?
>
> 4. Do you believe that meteorites are undervalued or overvalued
> overall, in comparison to other collectibles such as fossils or coins
> or wristwatches or contemporary art?
>
Received on Mon 21 Feb 2011 05:17:43 PM PST