[meteorite-list] Guesstimate on number of meteorite collectors.

From: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 12:40:00 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <1368560400.35226.YahooMailNeo_at_web122006.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

It depends on how you look at it.

There are millions of people who collect rocks including Native Americans who have used them for over ten thousand years and were experts on there physical properties.? They even collected a few meteorites along the way and new they were special.


Then you get into mineral collectors.?? I estimate there are over one million mineral collections of one sort or another here in the United States alone.

Then you get into cataloged mineral collections and the number is somewhere around 100,000 here in the United States.

Serious mineral collectors need meteorites in order to satisfy the the most advanced collections and the number dwindles to around 20,000.

Then there are collections that focus purely on meteorites. ? I would estimate this number to be less than 10,000 worldwide, partially due to the expense involved with acquiring properly characterized specimens.??

Of the 10,000 collectors, only about 8% collect by type.

Then you get into the planetary market and the number expands again? due to the wide appreciation for Martian and Moon rocks.? In other words, you don't necessarily need to be involved with meteorites in order to covet planetary specimens.

I estimate there are over 500 dealers of one sort or another.? Full time, less than 50.

Adam









----- Original Message -----
From: Don Merchant <dmerchan at rochester.rr.com>
To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Cc: Don Merchant <dmerchan at rochester.rr.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 12:28 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Guesstimate on number of meteorite collectors.

Hi List. Some thoughts and questions to ponder. To me it seems like there is
an endless number of Meteorite Dealers, Wannabee Meteorite Dealers, Part
Time Sellers, Full time Sellers, One hit wonder Sellers, Mix of meteorite
and Jewelry Sellers etc. All one has to do is just go on eBay to get a
partial idea of this fiasco, let alone the many websites you come across
when searching blindly on the internet involving meteorites. It seems
everyone including my great grandmother is selling meteorites! I also know
that meteorite collecting is confined to a very small group/percentage of
people world wide as compared to other hobbies. Does anyone have any idea of
how many hard core Collectors there are in the world at one time? I am not
talking about the 1 time Buyer of a meteorite either. I see some Dealers
selling the same material every week for years! I mean it sells, but to
who!! The same type specimen every single week for years, I mean every
Collector on Earth should have a piece of it by now, and yet someone buys
another piece the following week! What are Collectors doing, double and
tripling up on the specimens! I don't get it. Anyways....I just don't see
how anyone can make a full time living Selling meteorites with such
completion out there these days and the fraud that takes place. My pet
peeves are those that sell without providing at least an ID Card or some
kind of provenance...at least something to back the specimen. That irks me
to no end! I have solved that issue long, long ago ...I don't buy from you,
period. How the heck can I resell that specimen without some form of
legitimacy. So for those of you who still continue to sell without ID Cards
or Provenance, lets get your crap in order. Another thing I noticed is that
(especially) on eBay that week after week after week specimens like Lunars,
Martians, or historical specimens (well known and famous specimens) that
which have been sold or known for years, still get high prices for the
auction. You mean that after all these years there are still Collectors that
do not have a piece of say NWA 482 or DaG 476! Once it is put up on eBay
somebody buys it. Where on Earth do these people work that they continue to
buy and buy and buy meteorites! I guess I just don't understand who is
always buying these specimens with such a bad global economy and a limited
elite group of Collectors. Where the heck do you get your money from!? Maybe
inheritance? Lottery Money? Can't be from hard earned money! Just sounding
off is all to those who want to listen/read. I mean some people go to these
shows like Ensisheim or Tucson and spend tens of thousands of dollars or
more on specimens! What!! Are you serious! I know for a fact that less then
1/10th of 1% of people become millionaires starting out with nothing. The
rest were either lucky or money was handed to them by Mom and Dad or Mom and
Dad's business was given to them. I just don't get it. I have a very high
paying job and no one ever gave me a penny and I barely make ends meet, let
alone find money to purchase meteorites. This is a mystery that needs to be
on the History Channel!
Sincerely
Don Merchant
Founder-Cosmic Treasures Celestial Wonders
www.ctreasurescwonders.com
IMCA #0960

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Received on Tue 14 May 2013 03:40:00 PM PDT