[meteorite-list] Who sold their collection to a pawn shop?

From: Don Merchant <dmerchan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2020 12:36:13 -0500
Message-ID: <09E0B7D7ECBF412EB391E9F59ECB67CC_at_PCXP>

Its funny bringing this up. "Low ball" most likely. Not easy selling an
entire collection since the world of collecting meteorites is tiny
percentage compared to other type hobbies. I know when I sold my collection
I Thoroughly and meticulously spent 4 months going through many Dealer
sites to get an idea what prices were fair for my collection piece by piece
and what I truly spent on it over a 20 year period. I was stunned what low
ball offers I received by Dealers and Collectors, yet they sell their pieces
on their sites for top dollar!

I decided to sell my collection to an institution that we both agreed in
writing to never resell my collection for profit but rather display the
collection as a way to draw Folks to the institution for learning and
educational purposes. The institution would make money via an admission fee
to view the collection and other attractions they have set up. Did I take a
loss? You bet I did, but at least I know my efforts, time and money over 20
years collecting meteorites was not in vain. It will now be viewed by
thousands of Folks rather than a few if I just displayed the collection in
my house, thus worth it. I left a legacy so to speak as my name is displayed
on the collection in the institution and I can travel and see my collection
free at any time!

I sold my collection because as I got older I did not want to leave it to be
sold by my family after I take my last breath here on this Earth. They would
have had no idea where to begin with it and or how to sell it nor what value
it was worth. A burden I did not want to leave them.

With the Covid 19 running this world into the ground, especially Folks
losing their jobs, houses etc. it would not surprise me some collector
needing quick cash from a Pawn shop to pay bills and such. Desperate times
call for desperate measures. Sad as it is, we do what we need to do.

Cheers and Happy Holidays to ALL you meteorite Folks out there.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Gilmer via Meteorite-list"
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
To: "John higgins" <geohiggins at yahoo.com>
Cc: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2020 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Who sold their collection to a pawn shop?


> Hi John and List,
>
> I never thought to cross-reference these with the Met Bull. Good
> detective work there. The numbers just don't add up. Something is
> suspect there - or "sus" as the kids say now. LOL.
>
> Occasionally you'll see these pawn brokers or antique/collectible
> dealers offer a meteorite or two, but you don't often see an entire
> collection of larger and more interesting pieces from a seller like
> this. Meteorites clearly aren't their speciality, so the pawn shop is
> just probably passing along whatever info came with the specimens when
> they received them.
>
> What strikes me is (you alluded to the same) is that a collection of
> this size and quality is wasted on a pawn shop. Who takes a collection
> like that to the corner pawn shop? The seller could have done a lot
> better selling it first-hand to collectors and not going through a
> pawn broker that is going to lowball you on the sale. I'd think that
> any collector who built a collection like that would be savvier than
> walking into a pawn shop and plopping them on the counter for a quick
> sale.
>
> But, who knows? Somebody might have needed money fast for legit
> reason. Or, maybe they are stolen. Or maybe the story is stranger than
> that. Just seeing all of those meteorites for sale by a pawn shop made
> me curious. I've been watching them for a couple of weeks now, and
> more specimens keep being offered.
>
> Buyer beware.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Galactic Stone & Ironworks : www.galactic-stone.com
> Meteorites, Ice Age Fossils, Minerals, and Artifacts
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On 12/1/20, John higgins <geohiggins at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Hey Mike,
>> Check out the Dar El Ghani 995 and examine the listed weights for the
>> stone.
>> Take into account the two photographed specimens in the encyclopedia of
>> meteorites.
>> https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=6535
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/46-5-G-Dar-al-Gani-995-Meteorite-Specimen-Main-Mass-Black-Fusion-Crust-DaG-995-/264951405461?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
>> Main mass of 46.5g and the bulletin says the type specimen weighs 11.2g .
>> The tkw is listed as 56.12 This is a physical impossibility since the
>> Pawn
>> Shop shows a tkw of 57.62, more than the Meteoritical Bulletin shows
>> exists,
>> and that is not accounting for cutting loss and the 2 photographed
>> specimens. Maybe the meteorites were purposely stripped of the provenance
>> to
>> hide something. Maybe they are stolen? Clearly someone is trying to get
>> rid
>> of them really fast. Buyers should be cautious, and the collection they
>> are
>> sourced from should be identified fast!!!
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/46-5-G-Dar-al-Gani-995-Meteorite-Specimen-Main-Mass-Black-Fusion-Crust-DaG-995-/264951405461?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
>>
>> Have a great day,
>> John Higgins
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 10:02 PM, Michael Gilmer via
>> Meteorite-list<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> wrote: This eBay
>> seller, Loyalty Pawn, has been offering some higher-end
>> meteorites lately - many of them. These are not the typical meteorites
>> you see occasionally offered by this type of seller. This is obviously
>> somebody's collection being sold piecemeal. Does anyone know who this
>> collection used to belong to? There are no hints to provenance in the
>> listings.
>>
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/613-Grams-Large-Howardite-NWA-3078-Meteorite-MAIN-MASS-Endcut-w-Crust/264959075664
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> --
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Galactic Stone & Ironworks : www.galactic-stone.com
>> Meteorites, Ice Age Fossils, Minerals, and Artifacts
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Received on Tue 01 Dec 2020 12:36:13 PM PST