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

[Michael Farmer]

Ok, there is potential for fraud, but hey, if you eat
a hamburger, perhaps it will be contaminated with
E-COLI, you could die, but I bet most of you will
continue to eat hamburgers. There is no solution to
this problem, so buy from trustworthy dealers.
Michael Farmer
--- MeteorHntr at aol.com wrote:


> Hello Walter, Frank, Mike and All,

>  

> I agree, there is a potential problem with fraud.

>  

> I would say, that a lack of ability to confirm

> certain meteorites as being  

> what they are, is one of the factors that is keeping

> the hobby from exploding  

> (even more so) in popularity.

>  

> Of course on the rare items, if they are large

> enough, anyone can go  through 

> the trouble to get their own third party testing

> done if they  really want 

> to.   The Ordinary Chondrite Hammer stones are a bit

>  different, no matter what 

> the size, but especially with the smaller  ones. 

>  

> I think there is room for extra value to be added to

> certain hammers (or  

> other historical OCs) if the seller(s) will go

> through the extra effort to  

> document what they have is from where they say it

> is.  

>  

> Maybe this requires (microscopic?) photographic

> documentation, with  notary 

> public documentation on the dealer's signature(s)

> for some?  Who  knows?

>  

> If an unknown buyer knows that he or she can buy and

> then later  resell a 

> certain specimen, with the integrity of that

> specimen intact,  then I think more 

> people will want to risk buying them, and that will

> only help  their values.

>  

> We are still in the "Wild West" age of meteorite

> collecting.   If a collector 

> is educated, and thus more self sufficient, it is 

> still a great time to jump 

> in and build a great collection.  As the hobby 

> matures, some of these things 

> will be ironed out, and values will rise (and some 

> may fall).   

>  

> I think Frank's observation about this is very valid

> from a  collector's 

> point of view.   No doubt if a dealer has two part 

> slices, (or two crumbs) of 

> equal quality, from a meteorite that hit a  house,

> but one had the specimen 

> photographed on a signed ID COA card, and  the other

> one didn't, and both were put 

> on Ebay, one would be sell  for more than the other

> one would.  

>  

> If the dealer also had a notarized copy of the

> exchange agreement with a  

> major museum, where the specimen came from, that

> would only help that much more  

> to add to the provenance and thus to the value.  

>  

> In this electronic age, making a 1 min video of the

> hammer hitting the  slice 

> and the crumbs being immediately identified could be

> enough to satisfy  most 

> people.  

>  

> Entrepreneurism is great.  As needs arise, watch the

> solutions that  will 

> emerge.  Frank has pointed out a valid need.

>  

> The best is yet to come.

> 

> Steve Arnold

> Arkansas

>  

>  

>  

>  

>  

>  

>  

> In a message dated 3/3/2008 5:08:18 P.M. Central

> Standard Time,  

> waltbranch at bellsouth.net writes:

> >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.)

>  

> 

> 

> 

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