[meteorite-list] Re: "Bessey Specks"

[Darryl Pitt]

Checking in, saw the following and wanted to provide a bit of proper  
history:

The first person I know to have sold "specks" on a regular basis was  
Blaine Reed who packaged exotic specimens in gelatin capsules.  I was  
inspired by Blaine's idea and took it one step further-- 
pharmaceutically-milled Zagami for the Mars Cube "The First  
Interplanetary Collectible."  Shortly thereafter Dean popularized  
specks of all stripes and colors.



On Oct 17, 2006, at 3:58 PM, MexicoDoug wrote:


> Hello Adam, Listees,

>

> Bessey Speck

> (1) A commercially marketed, submillimeter-sized,  granular or  

> irregular,

> intentionally broken petreus meteoritical fragment which collectors  

> prize as

> a token possession of an expensive meteorite or of one with limited

> distribution, typically used more as a conversational piece or to

> satisfactorily fill a primal participatatory instinct for  

> collection and

> coat-tailing on the "wow-effect" of possession of the parent specimen.

> Compare to "Particle", "Stardust", "Crumb", "Micro" and "Micromount".

> (2) Any, almost microscopic-sized particle originating from a  

> larger (macro)

> meteorite specimen.

>

> Note, I'm not disagreeing with Adam' response to Ed in the sense  

> that the

> term micromount is a term in the toolbox, although I think the word  

> particle

> is more descriptive for most of our uses.  I am agreeing with  

> Michael Blood

> that the term Bessey Speck has a place.

>

> The questionably honorific term "Bessey Speck" seems like a much more

> descriptive term to me than micromount for many collectors.  To me a

> "micromount" implies some sort of serious grand plan of scientific

> investigation or illustration of specific attributes.  Size alone  

> doesn't

> count, as much as purpose.  For example, Stardust particles are not

> micromounts unless prepared that way despite Adam's definition, and  

> they are

> not Bessey Specks, though micro-Besseyspeckies are certainly  

> hypothetically

> possible.

>

> "Bessey Speck" consideres that not all particles commercially sold  

> in venues

> like eBay find scientific use regardless of who is doing the  

> selling. That's

> where Bessey Speck is a unique and interesting term.  Adam's  

> definition

> clearly has the weighted meaning toward a usually higher  

> "scientific" use in

> observing material properties: appreciation with binocular microscope,

> better developed crystals, etc... The short comment in that definition

> "obtaining for less," especially given the profit and pleasure motives

> between buyers and sellers, really seems quite out of place to me.   

> Adam's

> post wasn't clear, at least for me, if he disagreed with the use of  

> the term

> Bessey Speck or just was offering Ed an alternate (which I  

> definitely agree

> with Adam in doing).

>

> I am not comfortable with the term micromount being more properly  

> used for

> specimens purposefully shattered into small bits with a sledge for the

> unadulterated and pure pleasure of collectors filling holes in their

> collections, a majority of which are not "better appreciating"  

> their samples

> in a binocular microscope which many don't have nor have too much  

> motivation

> to get.

>

> Didn't "Bessey Speck" usage start with Dean's Mars rock sales many  

> years

> before most of our times?  I am trying to remember Kevin Kitchinka's

> comments in "The Art of Meteorite Collecting" (don't have handy  

> here) where

> an explanation of the etymology of this colorful term was published  

> and my

> Mars' comment references.  Bessey Specks, though, gets the point  

> across much

> better for me!  It's ll in the intended use and market.  While I  

> don' think

> a "Micromount" is an appropiate common sense description for  

> something not

> carefully prepared and mounted to exhibit some characteristic, heck  

> - if

> their not even carefully mounted...

>

> So, unless Dean objects to being immortalized in this fashion, that  

> is my 2

> centavos.

> Doug

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Adam Hupe" <raremeteorites at comcast.net>

> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 2:53 PM

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Re: "Bessey Specks"

>

>

> The term micromount has been used for decades to describe this type of

> specimen.

>

> Micromount:

>

> Micromount is term used by mineral collectors and rockhounds to  

> describe

> mineral specimens that are best appreciated using a binocular  

> microscope.

> Micromount specimen collecting has a number of advantages,  

> specimens take up

> less space, rare minerals can be obtained for less and smaller  

> crystals are

> more perfectly developed.

>

>

> All the best,

>

> Adam

>

>

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "E.P. Grondine" <epgrondine at yahoo.com>

> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:07 AM

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Re: "Bessey Specks"

>

>

>

>> Hi Michael, list -

>>

>> I see you list your Bessey Specks as "frags".

>>

>> (Your price of $25 seems very fair for Nakla specks,

>> but I already picked up Mars Bessey Specks for

>> childrens' gifts at Christmas from Hupe.)

>>

>> Clearly, there is a need for a more elegant term than

>> "Bessey Specks" for these. Does anybody have any

>> proposals? If not, is Dean(?-stroke damage) Bessey

>> going to be immortalized by having these formally

>> named after him?

>>

>> Hupe also sent the Bessey specks in small tubes

>> suitable for young hands, along with 1 nice pair of

>> cards (BTW I need a second pair of cards for the

>> second set of tubes, Greg), instead of gelatin

>> capsules.

>>

>> Perhaps microscope slides would be more suitable for

>> adult use, but as I don't remember any discussion of

>> these on the list, I'm bringing it up now.

>>

>> good hunting -

>> Ed

>>

>> --- Michael L Blood <mlblood at cox.net> wrote:

>>

>>

>>> Greetings fellow space treasure lovers,

>>>          This post includes a fabulous, large iron

>>> and an entire new

>>> page of historic calls.

>>>

>>> FIRST:

>>> A beautiful 6.5 Kg / 14.3 Lb S-A Shrapnel piece that

>>> appears for all

>>> the world to be an oriented shield on one side and a

>>> flat, oriented

>>> specimen heading to the left in a downward angle on

>>> the other side.

>>>          This piece includes an custom build display

>>> stand to facilitate

>>> a very impressive display of its virtues.

>>>          If no one snaps this up on sale it will go

>>> into my catalog

>>> at $3,250-  but the first to contact me will take it

>>> in this sale for 2,750-

>>> (price includes shipping and insurance inside the

>>> US)

>>>          This spectacular piece can be seen at:

>>>

>>> http://community.webshots.com/album/554884324rEfSPa

>>>

>>> SECOND:

>>> I have set up an entire page dedicated to hammers

>>> meteorites that have

>>> struck man made objects, animals or humans. This is

>>> a collection of the

>>> most impressive of all the recorded meteorite falls

>>> in history. I have 35

>>> different recorded falls (including Bessey Specks of

>>> Sylacauga, Yurtuk and

>>> Burnwell). About half of the falls can also be found

>>> elsewhere with diligent

>>> searching  and you will find my prices are as low

>>> as anyone's. The others

>>> cannot be had anywhere else. They are priced

>>> according to cost.  This page

>>> is

>>> worth checking out even if you don't want to buy

>>> anything  it was 5 years

>>> in the making and includes historical photos, links,

>>> etc. See at the URL

>>> below:

>>>

>>> http://www.michaelbloodmeteorites.com/Hammers.html

>>>

>>> Pieces on the Hammer page will be marked "SOLD" as

>>> orders come in

>>> so, if it is still listed when you email me, it is

>>> available.

>>>

>>>          PayPal preferred (sent to this email

>>> address) Visa/Mastercard

>>> and personal checks gladly accepted.

>>>          Happy Hunting! Michael

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>

>>

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>

>

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