[meteorite-list] From Russia (with love) - a contest with prizes!

From: Kevin Kichinka <marsrox_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:17:49 -0600
Message-ID: <CANDn_7G4cuykDkCM--Ca4s227yvdk6s7VWmcK6FRDHOvK4GoFQ_at_mail.gmail.com>

Team Meteorite:

In the last hours many list contributors have opined on the
'worth/value' and predicted availability of this latest and greatest
meteorite fall occurring in Russia.

Like every collector, I wish to eventually own a piece of the
Chelyabinsk meteorite, who's dramatic escapade was captured so many
times by dash-cams installed by drivers dedicated to thwarting the
mischievous. Thanks to corrupt cops, really, really bad drivers and
suicide-bent pedestrians, we have a library of video unrivaled in
history. Some will argue (mostly sellers of meteorites) that this is a
'one off' event, and any specimens offered today demand a premium.

This is true.

Until the next time.

As with stocks, real estate, Van Goghs and flea-market hubcaps, most
of us want to 'buy low' even if we never intend to sell. Certainly,
those who pay $50 or $70 or $1,000 a gram today will not love and
respect their personal specimen as much a couple of years from now if
they see dealers offering kilos of the same material _at_ $1/gram, "Buy
one get one free'.

OK. I probably exaggerate.

This we know. The MetBull predicts a TKW of "100-500kg". That's a
whole lot of weight to move when offered on eBay as 0.12 gram micros
starting at .01 cents, no reserve.

As noted by a list member, and in a scary sign carelessly edited out
of 'Revelations' confirming that the Apocalypse is near, Mike Farmer
(his real name) agrees with Steve Anold (likely an alias) that Russian
customs officials demanding "your pay-pahs, please" coupled with
slushy snow will keep the pristine specimens, even the
teeny-bit-of-rusty W=1 pieces off of the market, making for a 'firmer'
price this moment until ?

Steve articulates well his way around 'roll overs' and Michael has
been there, done that, and his opinion demands respect.

So I'll guess that for now, we best defer to these sound arguments.

But marketing forces always prevail. The Russian border is porous.
Capitalism will yet again raise its Keynesian head over the heavy fist
of communism in the form of contraband. The Cossacks will ride again.

And as interest wanes, and customs officials become less interested in
what LEAVES Moscow and more interested in taxing imported flat screen
TV's, every Russian dealer arriving in the 'free world' will be
competing with his brethren price-wise (and for those hopers and
dreamers, nothing is 'free' in the 'free world', that's an ironic
political slogan).

And for sure, any material brought to Tucson will never return to the
Fatherland.

Or Motherland, whatever.

So....

For our fun and your profit, I will offer a prize to the person that
publicly, on this very list, CORRECTLY PREDICTS THE AVERAGE PRICE PER
GRAM of all types of Chelyabinsk specimens (average price determined
from individuals, slices, primary crusted, secondary crusted,
uncrusted, frags, oriented, disoriented, rollover lips, roll-under
lips, hot lips, hot lips with holes, hot lips with facial decoration,
oriented-with-holes-and-rollover hot lips, etc.) AS DETERMINED by my
bi-annual survey of all qualified dealer's websites. AND, in case I
need a tiebreaker, you MUST also mention how many dealers will offer
this as sales inventory, both estimates as published on the internet
by midnight calculated from my house in the mango grove, November 30,
2014.

Example - "US$5.25/gram, 18 dealers".

Your prizes will be a copy of "The Global Meteorite Price Report -
2015" as prepared by me, at least a $15 value depending upon the
demise of the US$1, AND an ebook copy of "The Art of Collecting
Meteorites", presently on Amazon for $9.99 which just happens to
describe the economics of meteorite pricing on p 70-71- "When to buy".

FYI - I am the messenger, not a genius in solving this 'pricing/value
equation'. Nininger, Norton, Foote and Wulfing were my references.

But hey, take a chance, win a prize, everyone likes a prize,
especially when they don't even have to purchase a lottery ticket!
Maybe there IS something FREE in the 'free world'.

So the gauntlet is thrown.

Contest entries must appear publicly on this Meteorite-Central
bulletin board by midnight, Easter night, March 31 Eastern (USA)
Daylight Savings Time to be considered.

Limited to one entry per household. In case the winner 'expires'
before the contest ends, his/her heirs/next of kin will be awarded the
prizes. All taxes, duties and baksheesh are the responsibility of the
winner. By submitting entries, contestants from Italy agree to play
fair and accept the decision of the judge, me. Contestants from the
People's Republic of China (begs the question, if it wasn't 'People'
what WOULD it be) agree NEVER to invade my computer with
spyware/malware/dishware and use it as a malicious robot tool to bring
down the 'free world' (see comment re: "free world" above).

For contestants protection, I will manually write down each and every
submitted entry by the Easter egg deadline in case an even larger
meteorite that makes us all forget Chelyabinsk impacts Art's
meteorite-list secure servers and the archives are lost. Or just
destroys the State of California, leaving the rest of us wondering
what to drink now that the Napa Valley is one with the fishes.

This list of entries will be stored in a hermetically sealed box next
to my collection of rare Cuban cigars and in front of my bottles of
thirty-year old Scotch.

I hold all of these treasures very closely to my heart, protected by
multiple security installations, including devices to ensure that if
the wrong sequence is punched into the code box immediate
electrocution/vaporization will permanently 'dissuade' the interloper,
leaving him/her "like ashes in a moment".

Trust that if you win, your prizes will be awarded.

Let the contest begin.

Kevin Kichinka
Marsrox at gmail.com
Rio del Oro, Santa Ana, Costa Rica
www.theartofcollectingmeteorites.com
The Global Meteorite Price Report - 2013
Received on Tue 26 Mar 2013 12:17:49 AM PDT