[meteorite-list] Oman contributed 16% of world's meteorite finds in 2011

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:12:40 -0500
Message-ID: <CAKBPJW_6+quDt+_Ec-AgAcbzhugbf-9pyS8zr-BHXQzPJhQPaA_at_mail.gmail.com>

I will continue to offer Omani meteorites when the opportunity arises.

Ghubara is a good example. The current lawmakers and enforcers in
Oman weren't born yet when Ghubara was recovered and distributed. Or,
they were still suckling on the teat. That meteorite, and many
others, are effectively grandfathered into legal collections. If I
was offering such meteorites, I wouldn't be worried.

There is no need to lawyer-up just because you have a few Omani
meteorites in your collection.........yet.

Until US authorities decide to openly meddle further into the market,
we have not reached a tipping point where we have to worry about
arrest for simply collecting rocks (celestial rocks, but rocks
nonetheless).

It's obvious to all how Oman is viewing the meteorite market now. But
that does not legally address past Omani meteorites or recoveries.
One cannot arbitrarily enforce a new interpretation of law to make it
retroactive for decades and expect every other nation to follow suit.
What the Omanis want and what is legal under international and
national laws are completely different and confusing things that are
not specifically addressed under any law by most nations.

Now, what dealers and hunters will do is obvious and expected - they
are going to start avoiding Omani meteorites like the plague. Adam is
taking a prudent and safe approach, but I think it's too early to
start ringing the alarm bells and tossing out the Omani stones from
our collections.

The real question is - what exactly does the Omani law(s) state and
how are they enforced? The recent affair in 2010 was a hot mess that
still doesn't make any legal sense. They might be saying on thing to
the world, but their own courts apparently don't agree.



On 1/27/13, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Luckily, all my offerings from Oman predate this royal decree or were
> covered under one of three permits issued to the Germans. Once I am sold
> out, I will no longer offer meteorites from Oman. We can ad meteorites
> from the United States which I will no longer be restocking. I never
> thought I would see the day when meteorites like Gold Basin, Jellen and
> Franconia would be considered illegal contraband.
>
> This is a distributing trend that will continue due to the popularization
> of meteorites in the press and on cable TV.
>
> Happy Hunting,
>
> Adam
> ______________________________________________
>
> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------
Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
Twitter - http://twitter.com/GalacticStone
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
RSS - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
-------------------------------------------------------------

Received on Sun 27 Jan 2013 11:12:40 AM PST