[meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to this subject

[Walter Branch]

>Guys, there is no problem here.


There is a potential problem.  When a dealer buys say,
a collection, who is to say that the seller has not
substituted one specimen for another.  For example,
Claxton, in the size of a speck, looks like any other L6.
A well intentioned, well meaning, completely honest dealer
has to trust that the seller is being honest with them
and of course, on down the line.

-Walter Branch
(going home now.  I hear a chillie cheese dog (or dawg, as we say here) 
calling my name.)
-----------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Farmer" <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
To: "Walter Branch" <waltbranch at bellsouth.net>; "Frank Cressy" 
<fcressy at prodigy.net>; "Meteorite List" 
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to this subject



> Guys, there is no problem here. You know, as a dealer

> who cuts and messes with thousands of meteorites per

> year, you end up with plenty of crumbs, dust, and

> specks. Please don't think that we are smashing these

> things with hammers in order to maximize profit!

> Specks are a byproduct of making a large piece into

> multiple pieces, not taking a .2 gram meteorite piece

> and turning it into 20 pieces, at least not on

> purpose.

> As far as buying these specks on ebay, you must indeed

> trust your dealer, someone like Blaine or myself, we

> make enough money not to need to waste time scamming

> people. If I say it is Mokoia, you can rest assured

> that it is not Allende fragments. If you buy from just

> anyone on ebay just because they say they have

> something, well, buyer beware.

> Michael Farmer

> --- Walter Branch <waltbranch at bellsouth.net> wrote:

>

>> Hi Frank,

>>

>> I could not agree more with you.  Every word, every

>> line.

>>

>> Remember when Blaine Reed brought out DAG 262?

>> There

>> were a few who looked at the specks and balked but

>> because it

>> was Blaine who was selling it, the pedigree was

>> beyond reproach.

>>

>> This is not meant to be an indictment of Blaine.

>> Quite the opposite.

>>

>> I understand the economic pressures of ever smaller

>> pieces of

>> meteorite selling for ever higher prices, but it

>> seems the price-to-weight

>> graph is almost "U" shaped, with more and more

>> material ending up

>> as smaller and smaller fragments.

>>

>> Where is Steve Schoner?  I'd always liked to hear

>> his comments on this.  :-)

>>

>> -Walter Branch

>> (From sunny and beautiful Savannah.  What the heck

>> am I doing

>> indoors.  Oh, that's right - I have a job!)

>>

> -----------------------------------------------------

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

>> From: "Frank Cressy" <fcressy at prodigy.net>

>> To: "Meteorite List"

>> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

>> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 3:41 PM

>> Subject: [meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to

>> this subject

>>

>>

>> > Hello all,

>> >

>> > This is a resend of a previous post.  I meant to

>> > change the subject line but in my fever muddled

>> state

>> > I forgot.  Sorry about that.  Please reply to this

>> > post to avoid confusion.

>> >

>> > Frank

>> >

>> > --- Frank Cressy <fcressy at prodigy.net> wrote:

>> >

>> >> Hi Michael and all,

>> >>

>> >> The Barboton you mentioned was a 9mg speck and

>> went

>> >> for $46.67.  Many people shopping ebay don't

>> blink

>> >> until the price reaches a $100 or more. So

>> >> price/gram

>> >> on a speck means nothing.  The problem I see is

>> that

>> >> this and other hammer specks and rare and

>> historical

>> >> specks can never be verified.  Barbotan is an H5

>> >> veined chondrite...see any veining?  On the above

>> >> example, Peter M was the seller and I have 100%

>> >> confidence that this was indeed Barbotan,  Now

>> what

>> >> if

>> >> the winner "1randombid" with a "private" feedback

>> >> profile finds a larger Barbotan speck next week,

>> and

>> >> decides to sell this one, maybe even using

>> Peter's

>> >> original box and card.  Still 100% sure of it???

>> >> Unless you know the complete collection history

>> of

>> >> the

>> >> piece with everyone involved, can a buyer have

>> even

>> >> a

>> >> shred of confidence that the speck is what it is

>> >> described to be.  At least the Bessey Specks of

>> 10

>> >> years ago were either Nakhla and Zagami, and with

>> a

>> >> good lens or microscope one could be quite

>> certain

>> >> as

>> >> to what he/she had.  A little more difficult with

>> an

>> >> H5 or an L6 to say the least.

>> >>

>> >> Michael, I also have 100% confidence that your

>> >> material is what you say it is, but then I also

>> >> wouldn't bet the farm on it.  I also know if

>> >> something

>> >> were to be found in error, you'd stand behind it

>> as

>> >> would most dealers.  However, with the prices

>> >> raising

>> >> crazily it's might be too tempting for someone to

>> >> sell

>> >> a bogus speck maybe just once in a while.  We

>> like

>> >> to

>> >> think that the people on the list are above all

>> >> those

>> >> things, but wasn't "the one who still remains

>> >> nameless" who got caught with a rock in his shoe,

>> >> once

>> >> a member of the list.

>> >>

>> >> For you dealers the rising prices are great, but

>> >> hopefully is isn't a house of cards and won't end

>> up

>> >> like the housing and credit debaucle, built,

>> >> founded,

>> >> fueled, and distroyed by Greed.  The speck value

>> is

>> >> only based on trust, and should a couple bad

>> apples

>> >> ever show up, I think it could collapse.

>> >>

>> >> Just my ramblings on another fun filled day with

>> the

>> >> flu,  Hope you didn't take this personally, just

>> my

>> >> views on specks.  Also seeing historical

>> specimens

>> >> broken into smaller and smaller pieces upsets me

>> >> too,

>> >> but that's another story.

>> >>

>> >> All the best,

>> >> Frank

>> >>

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

>> >>

>> >> > I noted with interest a small piece of Barbotan

>> on

>> >> > eBay. I left a reasonable

>> >> > Bid on it and just checked it out.....

>> >> >         It had sold for over $5,000.00 per

>> gram.

>> >> >         I have what I believe are the last 3

>> >> > specimens available in the

>> >> > world on my hammer site (if anyone knows where

>> I

>> >> can

>> >> > get more, please

>> >> > Contact me off list - reward!)

>> >> >         I will hold this price until the first

>> one

>> >> > sells. To see these

>> >> > extremely rare specimens click on the photos at

>> >> the

>> >> > following site:

>> >> >

>> >> >

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

>> >> >

>> >> > They are easy to find - Barbotan is the oldest

>> >> > Hammer listed (1790)

>> >> >         Best wishes, Michael

>> >> > PS: Under 1999 you can find I have 3 last Kobe

>> >> > (Japanese hammer)

>> >> > Specimens left, as well as numerous other

>> recent

>> >> > additions to the page.

>> >> >

>> >> >

>> >> > ______________________________________________

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>> >> >

>> >>

>> >

>>

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>> >> >

>> >>

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