[meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.

From: Bob Loeffler <bobl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 09:34:35 -0600
Message-ID: <C91087ACD5B64CC68DF5AA5478A3DDAF_at_dell>

I agree. To put it bluntly, the woman is an idiot. She was an idiot even
before that show was on TV. Unfortunately, some people will believe
anything. We would have to remove most of the TV shows and revamp all
marketing laws in the U.S. if we were going to protect these people from
themselves.

I've seen it a lot in the rockhounding/mineralogy world... people selling
mineral crystals to unsuspecting individuals for 3 times the going rate and
telling them that the crystals have "healing powers" and/or "auras". Some
people actually believe it (so they are getting what the paid for), but I've
seen others buy the crystals and have a confused look on their faces, so
it's obvious that they don't see or "feel" the healing or aura, but they buy
it anyway because the seller was charismatic or marketed it very well and
talked them into buying it. I don't like that and wish we could make that
tactic illegal here, but as far as I know, there is nothing we can do about
it because we can't disprove it (no scientific tests to prove or disprove
that a crystal has special powers or auras).

Regards,

Bob



-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Becky and
Kirk
Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2011 9:00 AM
To: dorifry; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.

Wow----terribly tragic that someone would be sooooo foolish to trade
everything that they had, for some supposed "valuable' meteorites.

Don't think the TV show had much to do with it though, any semi-intelligent
person would have checked the "rocks" out first before agreeing to any kind
of a deal such as was presented----as I said-----WOW!!

Kirk......:-)

----- Original Message -----
From: "dorifry" <dorifry at embarqmail.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2011 9:49 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.


> Count:
>
> There's nothing you can do for the poor suckers. There's a chump born
> every minute. You can't blame people's stupidity on a TV show. People were

> dumb way before they had television. Stupidity is genetic, it has nothing
> to do with TV. Can you blame "Antiques Roadshow" for the dummie that
> traded his house for a phony Stradivarius because he saw an episode about
> how much Strads were worth? I don't think so. If you're born dumb, you can

> take steps to improve your intelligence. If you choose not to, you must
> suffer the consequences. Just don't say the TV made me do it.
>
> Phil Whitmer
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Count Deiro" <countdeiro at earthlink.net>
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Cc: <imca at imcamail.de>
> Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2011 2:48 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.
>
>
>> Hello to all,
>>
>> May I share an experience I had yesterday afternoon that saddened me and
>> left me questioning the merits of sensationalizing the trade in
>> meteorites.
>>
>> I recently began inserting a free announcement in a nationally read
>> online list stating simply that "I BUY METEORITES". Included in the
>> announcement are some simple qualifying tests that I hope will weed out
>> most of the "wrongs". I advise that if it turns out that you have a
>> meteorite I will charge you $25.00 for the initial examination and I will

>> help you get it confirmed and classified if you wish. If the find is
>> terrestrial I will not charge any fee and I will suggest you get a second

>> opinion.
>>
>> Well, this has worked out pretty well. I've had a half dozen calls in the

>> last six weeks and several of those have resulted in "finds". One
>> particular 100 gram individual has already been classified as a rare type

>> and I was able to secure a nice slice for my collection.
>>
>> Then this happened. I received a call from a young woman who said she was

>> in a neighboring State and had traded all she had for over a hundred
>> pounds of "irons" and wanted to know how much were they "going for". She
>> used a few meteoritical terms to proudly describe her acquisitions, but I

>> could tell she had gotten whatever she had learned from whatever source a

>> bit wrong. She talked fast and excitedly saying her meteorites were
>> "really heavy and magnetic". She insisted she had studied and knew they
>> were meteorites. All of them.
>>
>> She went on to say that she had sold her fifth wheel trailer in
>> Quartsite, Arizona and the man who bought it was a "rock dealer" and had
>> suggested she trade everything in the travel trailer for these
>> "meteorites". She now wanted to cash in and would I be interested. She
>> said she would meet me in a few days, but low and behold she arrived the
>> next afternoon.
>>
>> Now picture this. It was 112 degrees when she and her husband and five
>> kids, ages three months to thirteen, arrive in a beat up Chevy truck with

>> all their possessions stacked up in the back. And no air conditioning.
>> After I dispensed bottles of water and got the tribe into the shade, she
>> excitedly announced let's look at the meteorites and ordered her quiet
>> and unassuming husband to lug the boxes and briefcases out from under the

>> stroller and baby food into my garage.
>>
>> The instant the first of the samples were lovingly laid out on my bench
>> it was apparent to me they were terrestrial rocks. She had at least fifty

>> pounds of "slag" and even large and small chunks of basalt and sandstone.

>> She picked up the rocks one after the other for me to admire while all
>> the while chattering inanely about how they were "stony iron" or "irons"
>> and pointing out features to prove her identification and get me
>> interested.
>>
>> I finally stopped her selling pitch by recommending we cut a few. I cut a

>> dozen of the best prospects which all turned out to be terrestrial. I
>> decided I would have to tell her as tactfully as I could. I went and
>> selected some "rights" and "wrongs" from my collection and proceeded to
>> teach a little meteorite identification 101. It didn't take long for her
>> to realize that she didn't have any meteorites.
>>
>> I told her how sorry I was, and that I wanted her to have meteorites, and

>> would have been pleased to do business with her. But it unfortunately
>> wasn't the case. She and her husband looked stricken. She said " I gave
>> everything we had." I mentioned that she should not take my opinion and
>> get a second opinion. I suggested some other collectors and dealers. I
>> also gave her the URLs for a couple illustrated meteor identification
>> sites.
>>
>> After we had loaded the rocks back in the bed of the pickup I asked how
>> she had become aware of the desirability of meteorites and where did she
>> get her "off the wall" ideas of their value. She said she had watched
>> most of the episodes of "Meteorite Men".
>>
>> This little drama says something....I have my own opinion....anyone else
>> like to opine?
>>
>> Count Deiro
>> IMCA 3536 MetSoc
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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Received on Sun 03 Jul 2011 11:34:35 AM PDT