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@meteoritecentral.com>
To: "John higgins" <geohigg...@yahoo.com>
Cc: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list@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 <geohigg...@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@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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