[meteorite-list] Lost/stolen meteorite in transit

From: Paul Harris <paul_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:28:55 -0700
Message-ID: <4D8252E7.5060901_at_meteorite.com>

Dear Martin and List,

We just filed paperwork with the USPS for a lost international shipment
that never left the US...

FYI

We are moving our missing/lost/stolen page from meteorite.com into our
Meteorite-Times Classifieds. This will make it much easier to keep the
information updated and users will now be able to upload images of the
specimen.

If any of you have an information listed on this page
http://www.meteorite.com/missing_stolen.html

and you still want it listed or if you have a new issue, please enter it
on this page. See the Missing/Lost/Stolen category on bottom right.
http://www.meteorite-times.com/classifieds/

And if anyone has any information on following, please contact
Professor Marian Tredoux at the new contact information below.

Thank you, Paul and Jim

The only known sample of the Namibian Itzawisis pallasite has
disappeared from the collection of the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria,
South Africa, where it was curated. The loss could have occurred any
time in the past 2 decades. This meteorite is of profound interest to a
research program being run at the University of Cape Town, and we beg
anyone with information about the whereabouts of the Izawisis specimen,
or any fraction thereof, to please contact us urgently or send some
material to us for non-destructive chemical analysis.

mtredoux at ufs.ac.za <mailto:mtredoux at ufs.ac.za>
Prof Marian Tredoux (27) 51-401-9016 (of)
Dept of Geology (27) 82-976-6209 (cell)
Univ of the Free State (27) 51-401-3815 (fax)
Box 339 Bloemfontein
9300 South Africa





On 3/17/2011 11:01 AM, martin goff wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have just heard that a meteorite that i sent to a collector in the
> US has been lost or stolen whilst in transit. The box was delivered by
> the USPS flatpacked in a USPS plastic bag without any of the contents.
> No note or paperwork or any kind! I sent this via the premium
> international signed for service and was fully insured. Due to the
> insurance the full cost was stated on the customs declaration. I
> normally send things by standard airmail but in this case didnt as i
> wanted it insuring. It would seem that due to the value declared
> someone has opened it and stolen the contents. If it was opened by
> customs then surely there would be paperwork sent with whatever import
> duty was owed etc. etc.
>
> Has anyone else experienced lost/stolen packages like this? Not a very
> nice experience!
>
>
> Cheers
>
> Martin
>
Received on Thu 17 Mar 2011 02:28:55 PM PDT