[meteorite-list] "Ebay Again!"

From: John Lutzon <jl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:11:12 -0400
Message-ID: <0C497CE1561C4794ABB787C7C53D18AB_at_Home>

Mike,

My ONLY ONLY question regarding YOUR micro's is---are they gluten free and/or vitamin A enriched?

John

----- Original Message -----
From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks via Meteorite-list" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2014 9:46 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Ebay Again!"


No, you did not question my material specifically, but you painted a
non-flattering picture in very broad strokes. I am sure the unspoken
implication was there, as you have gone on the record in the past as
not being a fan of me, my crumbs, my coupon codes, and my ads.
Personally, I have never had an issue with you. We have never had any
dealings, good or bad. We just seem to cross wires on the List from
time to time.

If I feel a need to test a specimen, then I don't buy it. If I don't
trust my source well enough to take their specimen at face value, then
I don't want it. I assume many buyers feel the same way, dealer or
collector.

There are some sellers out there (some on eBay), that I wouldn't buy
from if they were the last meteorite dealer on Earth. Not because
they have passed off bogus crumbs, but because they have passed off
bogus whole stones or larger fakes. There are not many dealers who
test every stone of every batch of material they buy. Some do. Many
do not. How many dealers buy a few kilos of NWA 869 from Morocco and
then submit samples of that material for testing before reselling it?
Ditto for almost any such material on the market. Chergach? Prove
it. Bassi? Prove it. Oum Dreyga? Prove it. Zag? El Hammami? Ash
Creek? Buzzard Coulee?

If I spend $5 on a crumb and it turns out to be driveway dirt, then I
got burned. If I paid $100 or $500 or $5000 for a specimen for North
American fall and it turns out to be a North African find, then I am
sorry as hell.

Who is selling fake crumbs besides one or two clowns on eBay? There
are some bogus planetary displays going around and we are well aware
of them - their identities have been exposed due to diligence from the
community. Are there others who are operating in such numbers and
volume that they threaten the integrity of the collector's market and
the viability of research collections? Does NASA or ASU have some NWA
in their cabinets masquerading as Tagish Lake? Did someone slip some
Jbilet Winselwan into the Murchison jar?

I hear a lot of things. I hear stuff about shady deals and shady
operators. And I haven't heard jack about anyone dealing in bogus
crumbs. It sounds like fear-mongering to me.

The IMCA has enough to worry about without taking on the
responsibility for policing the market's Bessey Specks. That's it, I
think we should blame Dean. It's all his fault. LOL. ;)

I collect crumbs. I have more crumbs than Pepperidge Farm. If people
want genuine crumbs that are what the label says they are, they can
come to me. There are a few more crumb-mongers who are legit. I
won't name names, but they are probably reading this with interest,
because that picture you painted includes them also - not by name, but
by implication.

That's all. This is silly. I'll shut up.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------
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On 10/23/14, bill kies <parkforestmet at hotmail.com> wrote:
> First, I didn't question your material. I question crumbs in general.
> Second, it shouldn't be the responsibility of the buyer to try and find a
> lab that would be willing to examine crumbs. Crumb sellers know this. So, I
> think it's time for someone to take this task seriously and look at these
> endless micros. IMCA maybe?
>
>
> I see your footnote about hate. What is that about?
>
> ----------------------------------------
>> Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 20:32:02 -0400
>> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Ebay Again!"
>> From: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>
>> Bill - Put your money where your mouth is. I have 100 localities of
>> crumbs. Test every single one of them and post the results publicly.
>> I'll give you a killer one-time discount deal for the purposes of
>> testing. Use an XRF gun, microprobe, SEM, nickel test, magnetic
>> susceptibility, or whatever method you choose. Just because you have a
>> crazy bias against people who collect micromounts (and trade in them),
>> doesn't give you any authority to make blanket judgements.
>>
>> Yes, buyers should always beware, and this is especially true with
>> micro-crumbs that are not easily identified in a visual manner. If
>> somebody wants a genuine speck of something rare, they know where to
>> go. There are a few of us who are well-known and our sources are
>> well-known. I get my crumbs from many of the same big dealers that
>> high-budget collectors and institutions acquire material from. I just
>> get the remainders and pieces that are too small for their clients and
>> purposes. Nothing goes to waste. What do you do with the tiny specks
>> and crumbs that fall off the larger specimens during handling? Suck
>> it up with a dust-buster and throw it in the landfill?
>>
>> Yes to all of that and lets not forget the sellers of crumbs and specks.
>> The
>>> sale of miniscule meteorite material may be the most horrific method of
>>> undermining the collections of the most vulnerable buyers.
>>
>> The most vulnerable buyers? Some of my clients have microprobes.
>>
>> Haters gonna hate. They see me rolling.
>>
>> --
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> On 10/23/14, bill kies via Meteorite-list
>> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> wrote:
>>> Yes to all of that and lets not forget the sellers of crumbs and specks.
>>> The
>>> sale of miniscule meteorite material may be the most horrific method of
>>> undermining the collections of the most vulnerable buyers.
>>>
>>>
>>> Those that are enthusiastic but on a limited budget. People who peddle
>>> these
>>> worthless pips know full well that the material will never be
>>> authenticated
>>> so they continue relentlessly without question, criticism or the
>>> slightest
>>> regulation because this bs is profitable.
>>> ______________________________________________
>>>
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Received on Thu 23 Oct 2014 10:11:12 PM PDT