[meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.

From: Bob Loeffler <bobl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 09:47:56 -0600
Message-ID: <4915D098B5834D999DACD39A95BF91D5_at_dell>

Yes, very good idea, Bob K! And Geoff and Steve could compare the
meteorwrongs with their best meteorites to keep met fans happy (instead of
just showing meteorwrongs). I am one person who doesn't care about
meteorwrongs, so I would want to see real mets next to the metwrongs
(side-by-side) to keep me interested in watching. :-)

Another idea for an episode would be a "best of meteorites", where Geoff and
Steve could travel around the U.S. to show the viewer the best meteorite
specimens in the U.S. And they could do it for each continent or
sub-continent/region (like Europe). That type of episode could get
expensive, though. Or maybe they could show the best of their own
collections. I don't know... I?m just blabbing now. :-)

Everybody have a great weekend (Independence Day weekend here in the U.S.)!

Regards,

Bob



-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Count
Deiro
Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2011 9:31 AM
To: Bob King; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.

Bob said "perhaps we could suggest an episode..".

Outstanding idea! I believe the producers could jazz it up enough to make it
a popular segment. It would also do a lot to shut down criticism of the boys
and their exploits.

Best to all,

Count Deiro
OMCA 3536 MetSoc

-----Original Message-----
>From: Bob King <nightsky55 at gmail.com>
>Sent: Jul 3, 2011 8:09 AM
>To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Collateral Damage.
>
>Hi everyone,
>I don't have cable and haven't seen the Meteorite Men programs, but
>perhaps we could suggest an episode to Steve and Geoff on how to tell
>fake meteorites from real ones, meteorite look-alikes, learning how
>best to tell them apart on eBay and the like. Members of the list
>could even contribute pictures or Meteorite Men could visit the homes
>of a couple list members who have the best meteorwrong collections. I
>could even see them doing interviews with several people who bought
>fake meteorites. I think the consumer would find a show like this very
>interesting. In the long run, it would help those ignorant of
>meteorites get a more realistic view of their rarity as well as to
>learn to exercise some caution. Of course, maybe they've already done
>a program like this, I don't know. Just a thought.
>Bob
>
>
>>> 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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>>>
>>
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Received on Sun 03 Jul 2011 11:47:56 AM PDT