[meteorite-list] Provenance and the fickle mistress

From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:30:15 -0400
Message-ID: <CAKBPJW8ngR+pzRCvYPyQaee38uft2jjiYwRT8vxkKd=Ytps19g_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Stephan,

The whole issue of COA's and provenance was accidental. This all
started out with a post about a meteorite on a TV show. Discussions
tend to wander into places not originally intended.

I understand what you are saying and I agree in principle. But
scientists and collectors have entirely different needs. Scientists
care for what the meteorite can teach us. Collectors have hundreds of
different reasons for collecting their stones. And collectors, like
the market, can be fickle. Some care more about provenance than
others.

And some specimens don't profit much from provenance. Is a
heavily-weathered unclassified NWA chondrite more valuable if it comes
from Bob Haag or Joe Blow? Probably not. Is a nicely-prepared slice
of Esquel more valuable if it comes from Bob Haag? To many
collectors, yes.

Best regards,

MikeG

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On 3/23/12, Stephan Kambach <stephan.kambach at freenet.de> wrote:
> An example: If I would make a trade with a museum to obtain a piece from
> the former Chladni collection, then
> the value for the meteorite gain by its added historic meaning.
> If I ' m buying a meteorite from Haag, Hupe, Farmer etc. then last et
> least I pay the price I would agree
> with myself. Is it possible to get a better piece for the same price by
> an unknown dealer
> I would prefer to trade there. Names like Haag, Farmer, Hupe etc. or an
> NON historic provenance doesn't make
> the meteorite more valuable.
> Did you ever heard that any of the scientists (and they are observing
> what's going on on the market; also the list- be shure)
> starting up or sharing such discussions with you about prices like you do?
> They knowing where is the real value of meteorites. I think they dislike
> it.
> Dealers always  for shure (greedily) and collectors often deep in their
> hearts let money comes first to leave
> one'smark on the meteorites. For them, the evaluation for a meteorite is
> a summary
> of  a lot positions - in contrast for scientist only counts what the
> meteorite can tell by itself.
> Such discussions harms the value of collecting; therfore for scientist a
> good reason to demand that meteorites doesn't belong
> in every ones hand.  Do you want to go on?
>
>
> Stephan Kambach
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Received on Fri 23 Mar 2012 05:30:15 PM PDT