[meteorite-list] The Trials and Tribulations in Dealing with Landowners
From: Steve Schoner <schoner_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:08:51 GMT Message-ID: <20110222.160851.4841.0_at_webmail06.dca.untd.com> My final rant on the subject: Happy Canyon Meteorite today: 4.4 grams= $225 _at_ $50 per/gm http://www.meteoritelab.com/estore/?findid=68&c=Meteorite Price I paid in 1974 from Huss and Nininger .60 cents per/gm. I got 24 grams at that price, $14.40 cents. 83 fold increase since 1974 Kenna Meteorite today: 9.65 grams=1,690 at ~$175 per/gm http://www.schoolersinc.com/meteorites_p_9c.htm Price I paid from Nininger and Hus sometime in the late 1970?s $1 per/gm. 15.5 grams $15.50 cents. 109 fold increase since the 1970?s COOLIDGE, Kansas today: A rare rare C3.8: 12.1 grams=$1,900.00 ~$157 per/gm http://www.nyrockman.com/catalog.htm Price I paid in 1971 for a 8.1 gram piece from Nininger and Huss was $2 or about ~.25 cents per/gm. A 628 fold increase since my 1971 price. Bruderhiem Meteorite today: 4.8 grams=$480 at $100 per/gm http://www.meteoriteguy.com/catalog/bruderheim.htm Price I paid for a fully crusted 130 gram individual from the same institution in 1973 $30 or 23 cents per gram 423 fold increase since my 1973 price that I paid then. And of course this one Murchison that arrived at my door in Jan of 1970. 160 grams if I remember right as it is sitting in a safe deposit box a beautiful half crusted stone that I got from one in Australia, who actually saw it fall and picked it up moments after. $50 ! about 30 cents per gram Today about $100 per/gm. At today?s price $16,000+ A 320 fold increase over my 1970 price. Oh, I forgot another A nice piece of Pasamonte $2 per/gram in 1971. I still have it, about 2.6 grams with the Nininger?s hand written number in India ink on white paint; a very nice fusion crusted fragment. $5.20 cents. Try to find that at virtually any price today. And I have many others I could mention, such as a crusted 22.5 gram half slide of Cumberland Falls that I got in 1980 for $2 per/gm. (I thought it high high price then). And that .87 gram fusion crusted piece of Lafayette Indiana that I have $2 bucks a gram for that one too, when few believed it came from Mars. And today that tiny .87 gram piece is worth Go figure. Do the math, the percentage increase for these meteorites. Compare it to the devaluation of today?s dollar against that of the 1960?s,?70?s and now These meteorites compared to the devaluation of today?s dollars seem to be a very good investment for sure. But I never looked at them as ?investments? just things from space, a curiosity, a piece of ?space? that I could hold in my hand and imagine Boy oh boy, those were the ?good old days? as I remember them when it was fairly easy to get meteorites, ALL meteorites at rock bottom values Pennies for small pieces in the early 60?s. Those days when meteorites were sold for $10 or less per/lb; it was not that hard for the average person to amass a fantastic collection. Bob Haag did really well when he jumped in when he did. I could have done it too, as I had been collecting small pieces since I was in grade school in the 1960?s. It was and still is a hobby for me But I did not see ?the light? as Bob did. Some that knew I was collecting meteorites long before Bob Haag even got interested in them asked me, "Why did you not become a millionaire like Haag? Why? A hobby for me, and I don't have Bob's "Midas Touch" when it comes to sales and selling. I am happy where I was then and now. Ah, but Bob Haag gave us a some of the ?good old days? too. He sold me a batch of Neuvo Mecurio soon after it fell for the then astounding price of a buck a gram. At the time it was a good deal And Mike Farmer has brought the flavor of the ?good old days? from time to time. When Bob brought in a big batch of Millbillillie meteorites about 1990 or ?91, he was selling them at $2.50 to $3.00 per/gm. BOY! That was an ?old time? deal! Look at the price of that meteorite now. I bought a bunch of them for sure, cherry picked out some nice full crusted ones, and right out of the pile that produced that moon rock he found. (I wish I had seen it first, LOL). Then after that, all hell broke out in Australia as the landowners lost workers for their crops, and the workers were out instead finding meteorites. And later batches of stones that came out were nicked or cut to see if they were lunars. Then the Australian laws kicked in. Virtually impossible to obtain meteorites from that country now. Laws are the real problem, and when Nations, landowners, and finders get the legal itch does not take to much thought to see where it is going and has gone. For me, I remember my ?good old days? fondly. It was much easier to obtain meteorites then with my hard earned wages than it is today But the ?good old days? I am sure will come for this generation, the next and others after. Today, I am disabled, having suffered a major affliction and brain operation. In fact I got out of the hospital near eight years ago to this very day. Home bound, and after much learning, I make meteorite petrographic slides. It keeps my lifelong interest in meteorites and me alive. Much of my collection is gone now, and the fantastic things that I have kept I will most likely catalog and sell or auction off. I will keep some of the meteorites that were given to me by others as gifts or have special sentimental value. These will go to my daughter when the time comes. I could cut the bulk of my collection up for slides, but that would pain me to do so. I just have to find the time to sit down and catalog it all. Must let go of material things to be free All my rant written My mind expended Time leave now, before my wife (and boss) hounds me with the words: ?Get off that stupid computer and get to work!? Steve Schoner IMCA 4470 http://www.petroslides.com ---------- Original Message ---------- From: "Steve Schoner" <schoner at mybluelight.com> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com Subject: Re:The Trials and Tribulations in Dealing with Landowners Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:53:56 GMT Martin, Yes the good old days are to me still the "good old days." The most I ever paid per gram of a meteorite was Kenna. $1 per/gm. Then Eagle 60 cents per/gram. And a bottle of fresh Hobrooks, 130 grams picked up right after they fell by a Holbrook resident in July of 1912. And at the Nininger suggested price of 50 cents per/gram I bought the whole bottle with the person's statement written on a piece of paper stating that she saw it fall. And a big piece of Happy Canyon achondrite for 60 cents per gram. Oh did I forget... I got a 130 gram completely crusted fresh Bruderhiem from Canada in 1973 for $30 including postage. But considering inflation of dollars from 1973 to today it would be maybe 20 times $30 so that would translate to about $600 in today's value. But then again, I can't imagine that my $30 actually had the purchasing power of $600 today. Accounting for inflation, even $30 was a heck of good price back in 1973. And it did not hurt me as much as paying out $600 would today. What would a complete 100% fusion crusted 130 gram Bruderhiem go for today? I know certainly more than $600 I made $100 per/week in '73 as a college student, so it represented about one third week's pay. There are no doubt as you and other have pointed out exceptions in today's pricing versus the "good old days." But in my lifetime, after 1980 things that happened changed in prices. But not only prices, but LAWS, TOO! And it is the laws that will certainly put impact the meteorite market. Just like anything that the LAW gets involved in, if it becomes illegal or restricted... Expect the prices to rise. So that said for each generation there will always be the "good old days." But then again... Who knows, there could be another downturn in the world's economy, and for for some of us the "good old days" will return. As for landowners... An agreement is an agreement. It would be nice if it was just a verbal handshake as it was for the most part in the "good old days" But now you have to have lawyers involved. Steve Schoner www.petroslides.com IMCA 4470 [meteorite-list] The Trials and Tribulations in Dealing with Lando wners Martin Altmann altmann at meteorite-martin.de Mon Feb 21 21:10:15 EST 2011 * Previous message: [meteorite-list] The Trials and Tribulations in Dealing with Landowners * Next message: [meteorite-list] The Trials and Tribulations in Dealing with Landowners * Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Hi Mike, I changed my pills. And saw how stupid I am. (o.k. that isn't really new). We simply have to switch the perspective! 10 years ago, if a dealer sold 1 gram of Moon in a month and nothing else, than he had a good life, and when he did so 15 years ago, a very very good one. Or 10grams of a howardite per month, and his children were proud on their daddy. Today 10g Howardite bring you 100 lousy bucks and 1g Moon 1000$ without costs yet and before taxes. Nothing more to say about the good ol'times... ...and there STILL some curators exist who seriously state, that commercial trade and private hunting/collecting would cause damage to science and that especially in these very times they wouldn't be able to compete anymore because of the privateers making meteorites so unaffordable for them. Unbelievable - but you can read that everywhere. And that makes any discussion so difficult, because you'd have to start at zero, at the basics with them. (And I thought natural science would have to do something with exact figures and numbers :-) And I bet a Martian main mass, that after they have brought the find rates so down with their prohibition, that meteorites will cost then 10, 20, 30 times more than today, that they will then again pass the buck to the dealers/hunters/collectors making them responsible for the horrible prices. You'll see! Good Night! Martin ____________________________________________________________ Get Free Email with Video Mail & Video Chat! http://www.netzero.net/freeemail?refcd=NZTAGOUT1FREM0210 Received on Tue 22 Feb 2011 06:08:51 PM PST |
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