[meteorite-list] Video and Wikipedia now available for Polish MetFall of 30APR2011
Dear List, Some of you may be interested in seeing a TV report video about the Polish 30APR2011 MetFall. Also a Wikipedia page has been created in Polish (pull out Google Translate it read at it). http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/2011/05/poland-meteorite-fall-30apr-2011-latest.html Thank you astronomer Andrew S. Pilski and Wadi & Woreczko!!! Best Always in Life, Dirk Ross...Tokyo __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] QUESTION- Al Mahbas
Hello All, I recently posted pics (EoM) of a slice of Al Mahbas and listed it as NWA 2683. As i noticed that no one else has done the same;--is this appropriate or did i jump the gun? Thanks John IMCA #1896 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD - NAKHLITE !! (Martian) extremely rare NWA 5790 and IVUNA (CI1) !!
Hello all I have some auctions ending on EBAY tomorrow afternoon/evening (Sunday at around 2.10 pm PDT / 5.10 pm EST / 22.10 GMT/ 23.10 CET). For sale are the almost last affordable small fragments of some very rare and scientifically important meteorites: EXTREMELY rare NAKHLITE !!! from MARS - NWA 5790 - virtually impossible to get - very low TKW ! - ALMOST OUT !! IVUNA (CI 1) EXTREMELY RARE ! Meteorite - Historic Fall - TYPE SPECIMEN of all CI carb. chondrites !!! - ALMOST OUT !! Have a look if you like. http://shop.ebay.com/karmaka/m.html - New MARTIAN Nakhlite !! - NWA 5790 - extremely rare - (ALMOST OUT !!) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320694246166 - IVUNA (CI 1) - EXTREMELY RARE ! - Historic Fall - TYPE SPECIMEN of all CI carb. chondrites - (ALMOST OUT !!) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320694247556 Thank you ! Have a very nice, hopefully sunny, weekend! __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD: ENSISHEIM (Paris Museum), Luce', Sylacauga, Orgueil, Tagish Lake, Siena, Johnstown, PEEKSKILL, Barbotan, Barwell, Pena Blanca Springs, Abee, New Concord, Seres, 2008TC3 & much mor
Hello Listers, Thank you for taking a look at my post of meteorites I have for sale on eBay. Here is your chance to own some rare and historic meteorites. Please take a look and if you have any questions please email me and ill get back with you or if your looking for a bigger/smaller meteorite, let me know. A meteorite is a meteorite, but a meteorite with history and a legacy, will always add aura to your meteorite collection and value. Thank you eBaystore http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html eBay style auctions ENSISHEIM meteorite 1492 from Paris Museum no.1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778988089&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT SIENA meteorite 1794 historic fall from Italy 273mg RARE *make offers* http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260777966554&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT ABEE meteorite-ONLY know EH4 impact-melt breccia rare http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778510241&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT LUCE' meteorite-France 1768 very rare historic fall! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778985472&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT L'AIGLE Historic meteorite 455mg, 1803 vary rare fall. *Great deal make offer* http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260777960608&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT SERES meteorite 1818 1st and only meteorite from Greece http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778992080&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT ALMAHATA SITTA meteorite 2008TC3 seen from space rare! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778513766&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT BARBOTAN rare historic meteorite 300mg -1790-killer! *Make offer* http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260777964396&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT PEEKSKILL meteorite HAMMER STONE car smasher 1992 NY http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778979771&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT Peña Blanca Spring meteorite rare aubrite 1946 fall http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778981618&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT WOLD COTTAGE rare meteorite 1795-1st classified from UK http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778990266&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT NEW CONCORD meteorite 1860-Horse killer-ASU collection! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778505789&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT ESNANDES very rare historic meteorite fall- France 1837 *FUSION CRUST* http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778984008&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT TAGISH LAKE meteorite 50mg LOT with nanodiamomds,rare! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260777939701&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT BARWELL meteorite Christmas meteorite fall/shower. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778994164&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT ST. LOUIS meteorite *vary rare* hit a moving car-1950. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778000580&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT ORGUEIL meteorite, very rare historic fall-1864! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260769656686&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT SYLACAUGA meteorite Mrs Hodge meteorite strike 1952 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778996546&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT BONITA SPRINGS found amoung skeletons in 1938 in FL USA http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778508574&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT WESTON - 1st USA meteorite, fell in 1807- RARE! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778511754&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT FARMINGTON meteorite fell in 1890 rare & historic fall http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778514942&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT JOHNSTOWN meteorite rare Diogenite 1924 Colorado USA. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778515771&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT FISHER 1894 historic meteorite 1st fall from Minnesota. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260778517643&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT Shawn Alan IMCA 1633 eBaystore http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook?
Hi all, It has been so slow on the Met-list lately that It's making me wonder if everyone is talking meteorites somewhere else Facebook maybe? Since I deleted my FB account I don't know. -- Rock On! Ruben Garcia Website: http://www.mr-meteorite.net Articles: http://www.meteorite.com/blog/ Videos: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=meteorfright#p/u __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook?
Hi Ruben! Club Space Rock has some good activity, would enjoy your presence there! Name That Meteorite is a kick, thanks to Anne! Cheers! Jim On Sat, May 7, 2011 at 5:39 PM, Ruben Garcia wrote: > Hi all, > > It has been so slow on the Met-list lately that It's making me wonder > if everyone is talking meteorites somewhere else Facebook maybe? > > Since I deleted my FB account I don't know. > -- > Rock On! > > Ruben Garcia > > Website: http://www.mr-meteorite.net > Articles: http://www.meteorite.com/blog/ > Videos: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=meteorfright#p/u > __ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook?
Seems like there is an awful lot on FB. Stuart McDaniel Lawndale, NC Secr., Cleve. Co. Astronomical Society IMCA #9052 Member - KCA, KBCA, CDUSA -Original Message- From: Ruben Garcia Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 8:39 PM To: Meteorite List Subject: [meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook? Hi all, It has been so slow on the Met-list lately that It's making me wonder if everyone is talking meteorites somewhere else Facebook maybe? Since I deleted my FB account I don't know. -- Rock On! Ruben Garcia Website: http://www.mr-meteorite.net Articles: http://www.meteorite.com/blog/ Videos: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=meteorfright#p/u __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Hello All, My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw some strange pieces of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. People were talking about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the slices and individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few looked like H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear that freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, exposed metal flakes on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been worn off due to improper packing), etc. At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to Anne Black notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some other prominent list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that the material looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it given the required burden of proof. So, I sat on my hands for several months. Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the funny-looking 'Mifflin' on ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I remembered seeing on ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able to see both the stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent metal grains on the stone's exterior. I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the end-cut, and it arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we returned, I promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of the University of Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until the probe was recallibrated so that he could run it again to be sure. Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was an equilibrated H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. For comparison, Chergach and Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and 18.6, respectively. University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of the work on the Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field Museum, over twenty separate stones were analyzed. They were all L5. Mifflin is classified as an L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so he could confirm that the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the piece that I had sent him. He did. I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough (IMCA), who purchased it from Michael Cottingham, who purchased it from Greg Catterton (IMCA), who purchased the stone with Carl Esparza from the finder. Carl told me the following story over the phone: He was contacted "out of the blue" by someone hunting in the Mifflin strewn-field. According to Carl, the finder stated that he thought there was a "conspiracy against him," because no one would offer him more than $5/g. and he believed his finds were worth more than that. So, according to Carl, he then offered the finder $10/g, and a deal was struck. But...the finder asked that he not be paid via paypal or wire transfer; he wanted cash mailed to a P.O. Box. So, Carl mailed the money to the P.O. Box and the first of two 'Mifflin' stones was over-nighted to him the next day. It should be noted that Carl included Greg Catterton as his partner in this deal, and Greg sent over several hundred dollars to help pay for the stones. Unfortunately, as Carl said over the phone, his old computer recently died, so he lacks the name and email address of the finder, as well as the number/address of the P.O. Box to which he sent the money. Carl is also unwilling to share the bank receipt from the transaction which would prove that he did make a large cash withdrawal for the stones. I asked Carl for the finder's phone number, but he told me that he had recently tried to call the finder, himself, only to find that the number had been disconnected. He was unwilling to share the number with me, regardless. On the phone, Carl suggested that his source had likely ripped him off, and he said that he believed that it was the reason why he had been asked to send the money untraceably, as he did; Carl described the situation as a "typical scam." He also suggested that the stones *might* be from an unrelated fall -- or could be the result of Mifflin being an 'Almahata Sitta sort of fall.' I can't disprove either of those ideas, but they are unlikely for the following reasons: 1) Almahata Sitta is a unique event in the history of meteoritics. Different lithologies have been observed in many meteorites, but to have individual stones of completely different and unrelated meteorite types falling separately is unique. Out of the 1,238 accepted observed falls in the meteoritical bulletin, only one has exhibited individuals that have consisted of different meteorite types (for example, H + L, Ureilite + EH, etc). And it's not that we haven't been looking for similar events; with each and every fall, multiple stones are analyzed, and the simple fact of the matter is that they are always similar...with *one* exception. So, Almahata Sitta is an exception. How much of an exception? 0.08% of meteorite falls are like it. Less than a tenth of a percent. Possible...but extremely unlikely. We also have to wonder abo
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Jason, You raise several good points and analysis. One further question that should be asked is how many grams of this rock were put into the market as Mifflin? And have they made their way into the "gene pool" to how many buyers and sellers and yet to reproduce more offspring? Dirk Ross...Tokyo --- On Sun, 5/8/11, jason utas wrote: > From: jason utas > Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > To: "Meteorite-list" > Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 10:12 AM > Hello All, > > My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw > some strange pieces > of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. > People were talking > about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the > slices and > individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few > looked like > H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear that > freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, exposed > metal flakes > on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been worn > off due to > improper packing), etc. > > At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to Anne > Black > notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some > other prominent > list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that the > material > looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it given > the > required burden of proof. > > So, I sat on my hands for several months. > > Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the funny-looking > 'Mifflin' on > ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I remembered > seeing on > ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able to > see both the > stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent metal > grains on the > stone's exterior. > > I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the end-cut, and > it > arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we > returned, I > promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of the > University of > Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. > > The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until the > probe was > recallibrated so that he could run it again to be sure. > > Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was an > equilibrated > H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. For > comparison, Chergach and > Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and 18.6, > respectively. > > University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of the work > on the > Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field Museum, over > twenty separate > stones were analyzed. They were all L5. Mifflin > is classified as an > L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. > > I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so he could > confirm that > the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the piece that I > had sent > him. He did. > > I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough (IMCA), who > purchased it > from Michael Cottingham, who purchased it from Greg > Catterton (IMCA), > who purchased the stone with Carl Esparza from the finder. > > Carl told me the following story over the phone: > He was contacted "out of the blue" by someone hunting in > the Mifflin > strewn-field. According to Carl, the finder stated > that he thought > there was a "conspiracy against him," because no one would > offer him > more than $5/g. and he believed his finds were worth more > than that. > So, according to Carl, he then offered the finder $10/g, > and a deal was > struck. > > But...the finder asked that he not be paid via paypal or > wire > transfer; he wanted cash mailed to a P.O. Box. > > So, Carl mailed the money to the P.O. Box and the first of > two 'Mifflin' > stones was over-nighted to him the next day. It > should be noted that > Carl included Greg Catterton as his partner in this deal, > and Greg > sent over several hundred dollars to help pay for the > stones. > > Unfortunately, as Carl said over the phone, his old > computer recently > died, so he lacks the name and email address of the finder, > as well as > the number/address of the P.O. Box to which he sent the > money. Carl > is also unwilling to share the bank receipt from the > transaction which > would prove that he did make a large cash withdrawal for > the stones. > I asked Carl for the finder's phone number, but he told me > that he had > recently tried to call the finder, himself, only to find > that the > number had been disconnected. > He was unwilling to share the number with me, regardless. > > On the phone, Carl suggested that his source had likely > ripped him > off, and he said that he believed that it was the reason > why he had > been asked to send the money untraceably, as he did; Carl > described > the situation as a "typical scam." > > He also suggested that the stones *might* be from an > unrelated fall -- > or could be the result of Mifflin being an 'Almahata Sitta > sort of > fall.' > > I can't disprove either of those ideas, but they are > unlikely for the > following reasons: > > 1) Almahata Sitta is a unique event in the history of > meteoritics. > Different lithologies have
[meteorite-list] Mifflin
Hi List, My inquiry for a contact for Joe Kerchner on this thread has to do with Mifflin. Count Deiro __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Hi Michael, Great job as always; thank you! It seems that Carl needs to come clean and name the person that he "bought" the material from? Carl at least owes us that courtesy if he wants to maintain any respectability in the meteorite world? From what I read the water is too murky if someone spends any amount of money to buy from an "unknown" finder? seller and cannot? remember their name, etc.? And address? A city? Anything? Carl how much of this material did this finder? seller help you put on the market? Carl? Do you have an explanation? Please do give us the whole and factual story. Carl I am not accusing you of anything; rather hoping that you will quickly clear up matters before further commotion appears in the henhouse. Best Regards, Dirk Ross...Tokyo --- On Sun, 5/8/11, michael cottingham wrote: > From: michael cottingham > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > To: "drtanuki" > Cc: "jason utas" , meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 11:38 AM > Hello, > > Good question. I have accounted for and taken "out" of the > gene pool, almost all of the bad Mifflin that I got dragged > into. I do not know about the others. > > Best Wishes > > Michael Cottingham > On May 7, 2011, at 8:31 PM, drtanuki wrote: > > > Jason, > > You raise several good points and analysis. One > further question that should be asked is how many grams of > this rock were put into the market as Mifflin? And have they > made their way into the "gene pool" to how many buyers and > sellers and yet to reproduce more offspring? Dirk > Ross...Tokyo > > > > > > --- On Sun, 5/8/11, jason utas > wrote: > > > >> From: jason utas > >> Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > >> To: "Meteorite-list" > >> Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 10:12 AM > >> Hello All, > >> > >> My story begins in the summer of last year. > I saw > >> some strange pieces > >> of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. > > >> People were talking > >> about the meteorite having two lithologies, > but...the > >> slices and > >> individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A > select few > >> looked like > >> H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of > wear that > >> freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, > exposed > >> metal flakes > >> on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had > been worn > >> off due to > >> improper packing), etc. > >> > >> At the time, I did nothing but send a private > email to Anne > >> Black > >> notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with > some > >> other prominent > >> list-members addressing it, and they all agreed > that the > >> material > >> looked funny, but that nothing could be done about > it given > >> the > >> required burden of proof. > >> > >> So, I sat on my hands for several months. > >> > >> Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the > funny-looking > >> 'Mifflin' on > >> ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I > remembered > >> seeing on > >> ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was > able to > >> see both the > >> stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent > metal > >> grains on the > >> stone's exterior. > >> > >> I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the > end-cut, and > >> it > >> arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. > When we > >> returned, I > >> promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of > the > >> University of > >> Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone > posthaste. > >> > >> The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait > until the > >> probe was > >> recallibrated so that he could run it again to be > sure. > >> > >> Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was > an > >> equilibrated > >> H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. > For > >> comparison, Chergach and > >> Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and > 18.6, > >> respectively. > >> > >> University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of > the work > >> on the > >> Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field > Museum, over > >> twenty separate > >> stones were analyzed. They were all > L5. Mifflin > >> is classified as an > >> L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. > >> > >> I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so > he could > >> confirm that > >> the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the > piece that I > >> had sent > >> him. He did. > >> > >> I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough > (IMCA), who > >> purchased it > >> from Michael Cottingham, who purchased it from > Greg > >> Catterton (IMCA), > >> who purchased the stone with Carl Esparza from the > finder. > >> > >> Carl told me the following story over the phone: > >> He was contacted "out of the blue" by someone > hunting in > >> the Mifflin > >> strewn-field. According to Carl, the finder > stated > >> that he thought > >> there was a "conspiracy against him," because no > one would > >> offer him > >> more than $5/g. and he believed his finds were > worth more > >> than that. > >> So, according to Carl, he then offered
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
G'Day Jason, Dirk, Michael, Count and List What a mess! This is definitely not good. I feel spared that I have no Mifflin in my collection, as of yet. I hope this gets resolved and put to rest quickly and I appeal to those that have dubious possibilities to come forth. Jason, well done. Cheers John IMCA # 2125 -Original Message- From: meteorite-list-boun...@meteoritecentral.com [mailto:meteorite-list-boun...@meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of drtanuki Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 7:58 PM To: michael cottingham; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss Hi Michael, Great job as always; thank you! It seems that Carl needs to come clean and name the person that he "bought" the material from? Carl at least owes us that courtesy if he wants to maintain any respectability in the meteorite world? From what I read the water is too murky if someone spends any amount of money to buy from an "unknown" finder? seller and cannot? remember their name, etc.? And address? A city? Anything? Carl how much of this material did this finder? seller help you put on the market? Carl? Do you have an explanation? Please do give us the whole and factual story. Carl I am not accusing you of anything; rather hoping that you will quickly clear up matters before further commotion appears in the henhouse. Best Regards, Dirk Ross...Tokyo --- On Sun, 5/8/11, michael cottingham wrote: > From: michael cottingham > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > To: "drtanuki" > Cc: "jason utas" , > meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 11:38 AM > Hello, > > Good question. I have accounted for and taken "out" of the gene pool, > almost all of the bad Mifflin that I got dragged into. I do not know > about the others. > > Best Wishes > > Michael Cottingham > On May 7, 2011, at 8:31 PM, drtanuki wrote: > > > Jason, > > You raise several good points and analysis. One > further question that should be asked is how many grams of this rock > were put into the market as Mifflin? And have they made their way into > the "gene pool" to how many buyers and sellers and yet to reproduce > more offspring? Dirk Ross...Tokyo > > > > > > --- On Sun, 5/8/11, jason utas > wrote: > > > >> From: jason utas > >> Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > >> To: "Meteorite-list" > >> Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 10:12 AM > >> Hello All, > >> > >> My story begins in the summer of last year. > I saw > >> some strange pieces > >> of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. > > >> People were talking > >> about the meteorite having two lithologies, > but...the > >> slices and > >> individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A > select few > >> looked like > >> H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of > wear that > >> freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, > exposed > >> metal flakes > >> on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had > been worn > >> off due to > >> improper packing), etc. > >> > >> At the time, I did nothing but send a private > email to Anne > >> Black > >> notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with > some > >> other prominent > >> list-members addressing it, and they all agreed > that the > >> material > >> looked funny, but that nothing could be done about > it given > >> the > >> required burden of proof. > >> > >> So, I sat on my hands for several months. > >> > >> Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the > funny-looking > >> 'Mifflin' on > >> ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I > remembered > >> seeing on > >> ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was > able to > >> see both the > >> stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent > metal > >> grains on the > >> stone's exterior. > >> > >> I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the > end-cut, and > >> it > >> arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. > When we > >> returned, I > >> promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of > the > >> University of > >> Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone > posthaste. > >> > >> The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait > until the > >> probe was > >> recallibrated so that he could run it again to be > sure. > >> > >> Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was > an > >> equilibrated > >> H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. > For > >> comparison, Chergach and > >> Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and > 18.6, > >> respectively. > >> > >> University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of > the work > >> on the > >> Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field > Museum, over > >> twenty separate > >> stones were analyzed. They were all > L5. Mifflin > >> is classified as an > >> L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. > >> > >> I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so > he could > >> confirm that > >> the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the > piece that I > >> had sent > >> him. He did. > >> > >> I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough >
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
I first want to say that Carl has "made things right" with me. Secondly, I am fairly sure most of the material has been made known to the buyers at this time and steps have been taken to make things right with them. Upon being informed of this, I contacted the person who did the testing and they confirmed the results. I have dealt with him, and trust his work 100%. I hope those that are following this understand I was sold a stone that was told to me was mifflin and have done what I needed to help resolve this issue and show that I have done nothing under handed. On a side note, and I learned of some of this from this issue... Two people reportedly stole meteorites from the land owners in WI. Large ones... One made a totally BS story of it being found under a bridge that was published and upon reading is really laughable with many holes that most would readily pick out... I know because he told me directly. The other... while I dont know full details, many others do, but remain quite. WHY has this activity not been addressed and just swept up under the rug? Surely these actions need addressed just as this does. I want to make it clear that while I am not attempting to cast blame or redirect this issue, there is more going on that still remains a little secret to those that know and it too should come out. Greg Catterton www.wanderingstarmeteorites.com IMCA member 4682 On Ebay: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/wanderingstarmeteorites On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WanderingStarMeteorites --- On Sat, 5/7/11, drtanuki wrote: > From: drtanuki > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > To: "jason utas" , meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > Date: Saturday, May 7, 2011, 10:31 PM > Jason, > You raise several good points and analysis. One > further question that should be asked is how many grams of > this rock were put into the market as Mifflin? And have they > made their way into the "gene pool" to how many buyers and > sellers and yet to reproduce more offspring? Dirk > Ross...Tokyo > > > --- On Sun, 5/8/11, jason utas > wrote: > > > From: jason utas > > Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > > To: "Meteorite-list" > > Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 10:12 AM > > Hello All, > > > > My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw > > some strange pieces > > of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. > > People were talking > > about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the > > slices and > > individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few > > looked like > > H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear > that > > freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, > exposed > > metal flakes > > on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been > worn > > off due to > > improper packing), etc. > > > > At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to > Anne > > Black > > notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some > > other prominent > > list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that > the > > material > > looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it > given > > the > > required burden of proof. > > > > So, I sat on my hands for several months. > > > > Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the > funny-looking > > 'Mifflin' on > > ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I > remembered > > seeing on > > ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able > to > > see both the > > stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent > metal > > grains on the > > stone's exterior. > > > > I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the > end-cut, and > > it > > arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we > > returned, I > > promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of > the > > University of > > Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. > > > > The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until > the > > probe was > > recallibrated so that he could run it again to be > sure. > > > > Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was an > > equilibrated > > H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. For > > comparison, Chergach and > > Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and 18.6, > > respectively. > > > > University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of the > work > > on the > > Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field Museum, > over > > twenty separate > > stones were analyzed. They were all L5. Mifflin > > is classified as an > > L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. > > > > I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so he > could > > confirm that > > the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the piece > that I > > had sent > > him. He did. > > > > I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough (IMCA), > who > > purchased it > > from Michael Cottingham, who purchased it from Greg > > Catterton (IMCA), > > who purchased the stone with Carl Esparza from the > finder. > > > > Carl told me the following story over the phone: > > He was contacted "out of the blue" by someo
[meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Jason and Listers, This is a very interesting post in the since I have to say something doesn't add up. One an anonymous finder contacts Carl and has him send cash to a PO box. Red flag. Two the phone number is disconnected. Three the transaction was done in cash. I have to say with those three elements this would have to be a scam, someone got had. If this was a legit sale wouldn't it have been done in the correct ways via pay pal not some undercover 007 style, sending cash in the mail to a PO BOX? As for testing goes, cant Carl Agee do a terrestrial age analysis and also have a cre done which can prove or disprove this theory that someone is suggesting that Mifflin has two litholgies, which I have to say isnt the case and that these stones are not related to Mifflin in anyway from the evidence presented by Jason. Now the question is who was the scammer. I have to assume that one this scammer knew what they were doing and somehow was or is connected to the meteorite collecting world or they are really smart and picked up how to scam meteorite hunter 101. First of all they knew of Carl, two they knew of the fall, three, they knew of what a freshly fallen meteorite looks like and four the meteorite in question is a real meteorite but not from the same fall. I think the scammer is one of us or is connected to one of us just because of the circumstances of the event and that the meteorite is a real meteorite and has fusion crust. If it was a non meteoritest, I think it would have been a stone, but this was not the case it was a real meteorite in the mists of being a fake Mifflin. This is to good to be done by some non meteorite collector but again people are getting smarter these days to make some cash. But this means that this scammer would have to buy a real meteorite to turn around to sell as a fake recent meteorite fall. All I can say is if I came into this situation I would have thought the sale would have been a scam right from the start with me sending money to a PO box. Also I am glad I didn't buy this stuff I was able to buy some from Joe Kerchner which that had some drama in its self as well. My 2 cents Shawn Alan IMCA 1633 eBaystore http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss jason utas jasonutas at gmail.com Sat May 7 21:12:16 EDT 2011 Previous message: [meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook? Next message: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Hello All, My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw some strange pieces of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. People were talking about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the slices and individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few looked like H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear that freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, exposed metal flakes on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been worn off due to improper packing), etc. At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to Anne Black notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some other prominent list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that the material looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it given the required burden of proof. So, I sat on my hands for several months. Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the funny-looking 'Mifflin' on ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I remembered seeing on ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able to see both the stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent metal grains on the stone's exterior. I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the end-cut, and it arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we returned, I promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of the University of Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until the probe was recallibrated so that he could run it again to be sure. Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was an equilibrated H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. For comparison, Chergach and Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and 18.6, respectively. University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of the work on the Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field Museum, over twenty separate stones were analyzed. They were all L5. Mifflin is classified as an L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so he could confirm that the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the piece that I had sent him. He did. I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough (IMCA), who purchased it from Michael Cottingham, who purchased it from Greg Catterton (IMCA), who purchased the stone with Carl Esparza from the finder. Carl told me the following st
Re: [meteorite-list] QUESTION- Al Mahbas
NWA 2683 is provisonal but the pallasites are real! Since its been 6.5 years, strange that it has not yet been classified. Ron Hartman - Original Message - From: "John Lutzon" To: Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 6:11 AM Subject: [meteorite-list] QUESTION- Al Mahbas Hello All, I recently posted pics (EoM) of a slice of Al Mahbas and listed it as NWA 2683. As i noticed that no one else has done the same;--is this appropriate or did i jump the gun? Thanks John IMCA #1896 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] OKC "15" Second Event 9:24 pm CST 7MAY2011
Dear List, OKC "15" Second Event 9:24 pm CST 7MAY2011 http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/2011/05/oklahoma-texas-ny-ct-canada-meteors.html Hopefully camera captures??? And more reports? May be space debris given the 15 sec sighting? Best Regards, Dirk Ross...Tokyo __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Greetings, I won't mention any names and I can't prove my ideas on this, but someone told me that the known fraud was in the Mifflin area hunting. While this could be a unique fraud, I have my suspicion. Wondering if the P.O. Box could be around the Illinois area, maybe even in another state but close to the Chicago area? If so this guy is trying new tactics to sell mis-represented specimens. However usually he gets items that look like the fall and tries to sell the look alike specimens. Don't know why they can't just be honest and sell items without trying to ruin collections. Money is the motive obviously. The real crime is the people who continue to buy from him. I agree there were too many red flags on that deal and dealers should know better. --AL Mitterling - Original Message - From: "Shawn Alan" To: Cc: Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 11:38 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss Jason and Listers, This is a very interesting post in the since I have to say something doesn't add up. One an anonymous finder contacts Carl and has him send cash to a PO box. Red flag. Two the phone number is disconnected. Three the transaction was done in cash. I have to say with those three elements this would have to be a scam, someone got had. If this was a legit sale wouldn't it have been done in the correct ways via pay pal not some undercover 007 style, sending cash in the mail to a PO BOX? As for testing goes, cant Carl Agee do a terrestrial age analysis and also have a cre done which can prove or disprove this theory that someone is suggesting that Mifflin has two litholgies, which I have to say isnt the case and that these stones are not related to Mifflin in anyway from the evidence presented by Jason. Now the question is who was the scammer. I have to assume that one this scammer knew what they were doing and somehow was or is connected to the meteorite collecting world or they are really smart and picked up how to scam meteorite hunter 101. First of all they knew of Carl, two they knew of the fall, three, they knew of what a freshly fallen meteorite looks like and four the meteorite in question is a real meteorite but not from the same fall. I think the scammer is one of us or is connected to one of us just because of the circumstances of the event and that the meteorite is a real meteorite and has fusion crust. If it was a non meteoritest, I think it would have been a stone, but this was not the case it was a real meteorite in the mists of being a fake Mifflin. This is to good to be done by some non meteorite collector but again people are getting smarter these days to make some cash. But this means that this scammer would have to buy a real meteorite to turn around to sell as a fake recent meteorite fall. All I can say is if I came into this situation I would have thought the sale would have been a scam right from the start with me sending money to a PO box. Also I am glad I didn't buy this stuff I was able to buy some from Joe Kerchner which that had some drama in its self as well. My 2 cents Shawn Alan IMCA 1633 eBaystore http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss jason utas jasonutas at gmail.com Sat May 7 21:12:16 EDT 2011 Previous message: [meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook? Next message: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Hello All, My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw some strange pieces of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. People were talking about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the slices and individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few looked like H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear that freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, exposed metal flakes on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been worn off due to improper packing), etc. At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to Anne Black notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some other prominent list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that the material looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it given the required burden of proof. So, I sat on my hands for several months. Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the funny-looking 'Mifflin' on ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I remembered seeing on ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able to see both the stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent metal grains on the stone's exterior. I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the end-cut, and it arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we returned, I promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of the University of Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until the p
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Greetings, I won't mention any names and I can't prove my ideas on this, but someone told me that the known fraud was in the Mifflin area hunting. While this could be a unique fraud, I have my suspicion. Wondering if the P.O. Box could be around the Illinois area, maybe even in another state but close to the Chicago area? If so this guy is trying new tactics to sell mis-represented specimens. However usually he gets items that look like the fall and tries to sell the look alike specimens. Don't know why they can't just be honest and sell items without trying to ruin collections. Money is the motive obviously. The real crime is the people who continue to buy from him. I agree there were too many red flags on that deal and dealers should know better. --AL Mitterling - Original Message - From: "Shawn Alan" To: Cc: Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 11:38 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss Jason and Listers, This is a very interesting post in the since I have to say something doesn't add up. One an anonymous finder contacts Carl and has him send cash to a PO box. Red flag. Two the phone number is disconnected. Three the transaction was done in cash. I have to say with those three elements this would have to be a scam, someone got had. If this was a legit sale wouldn't it have been done in the correct ways via pay pal not some undercover 007 style, sending cash in the mail to a PO BOX? As for testing goes, cant Carl Agee do a terrestrial age analysis and also have a cre done which can prove or disprove this theory that someone is suggesting that Mifflin has two litholgies, which I have to say isnt the case and that these stones are not related to Mifflin in anyway from the evidence presented by Jason. Now the question is who was the scammer. I have to assume that one this scammer knew what they were doing and somehow was or is connected to the meteorite collecting world or they are really smart and picked up how to scam meteorite hunter 101. First of all they knew of Carl, two they knew of the fall, three, they knew of what a freshly fallen meteorite looks like and four the meteorite in question is a real meteorite but not from the same fall. I think the scammer is one of us or is connected to one of us just because of the circumstances of the event and that the meteorite is a real meteorite and has fusion crust. If it was a non meteoritest, I think it would have been a stone, but this was not the case it was a real meteorite in the mists of being a fake Mifflin. This is to good to be done by some non meteorite collector but again people are getting smarter these days to make some cash. But this means that this scammer would have to buy a real meteorite to turn around to sell as a fake recent meteorite fall. All I can say is if I came into this situation I would have thought the sale would have been a scam right from the start with me sending money to a PO box. Also I am glad I didn't buy this stuff I was able to buy some from Joe Kerchner which that had some drama in its self as well. My 2 cents Shawn Alan IMCA 1633 eBaystore http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss jason utas jasonutas at gmail.com Sat May 7 21:12:16 EDT 2011 Previous message: [meteorite-list] Where is everyone? Facebook? Next message: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Hello All, My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw some strange pieces of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. People were talking about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the slices and individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few looked like H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear that freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, exposed metal flakes on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been worn off due to improper packing), etc. At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to Anne Black notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some other prominent list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that the material looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it given the required burden of proof. So, I sat on my hands for several months. Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the funny-looking 'Mifflin' on ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I remembered seeing on ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able to see both the stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent metal grains on the stone's exterior. I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the end-cut, and it arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we returned, I promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of the University of Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until the probe was recallibrated so that he could run
Re: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss
Jason: Thanks so much for shedding the light on this. It's too bad that even dealers you can trust get trapped into scams. It looks like a chunk of Chergach to me. Greg S. > Date: Sat, 7 May 2011 18:12:16 -0700 > From: jasonu...@gmail.com > To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > Subject: [meteorite-list] Mifflin, Amiss > > Hello All, > > My story begins in the summer of last year. I saw some strange pieces > of 'Mifflin' on ebay that I thought looked funny. People were talking > about the meteorite having two lithologies, but...the slices and > individuals that I saw looked 'off.' A select few looked like > H-chondrites, and they had the telltale signs of wear that > freshly-imported Moroccan falls bear: worn edges, exposed metal flakes > on protruding corners (where the fusion crust had been worn off due to > improper packing), etc. > > At the time, I did nothing but send a private email to Anne Black > notifying her of my suspicions. I spoke with some other prominent > list-members addressing it, and they all agreed that the material > looked funny, but that nothing could be done about it given the > required burden of proof. > > So, I sat on my hands for several months. > > Just over a month ago, I saw a piece of the funny-looking 'Mifflin' on > ebay. It looked similar to some pieces that I remembered seeing on > ebay months before, and, being an end-cut, I was able to see both the > stone's funny-looking inside -- and the apparent metal grains on the > stone's exterior. > > I used the 'buy-it-now' option to purchase the end-cut, and it > arrived while Peter and I were in Morocco. When we returned, I > promptly shipped the end-cut off to Tony Irving of the University of > Washington; he agreed to analyze the stone posthaste. > > The results came back, but Tony wanted to wait until the probe was > recallibrated so that he could run it again to be sure. > > Lo and behold, he did confirm that my end-cut was an equilibrated > H-chondrite, with an olivine Fa of 18.6. For comparison, Chergach and > Bassikounou both have Fa contents of 18.4 and 18.6, respectively. > > University of Madison, Wisconsin performed most of the work on the > Mifflin fall. Between them and the Field Museum, over twenty separate > stones were analyzed. They were all L5. Mifflin is classified as an > L5, with an Fa of ~24.9 +/- 0.2. > > I then sent Tony the link to the ebay auction so he could confirm that > the piece that he had analyzed was indeed the piece that I had sent > him. He did. > > I purchased my end-cut from Bryan Scarborough (IMCA), who purchased it > from Michael Cottingham, who purchased it from Greg Catterton (IMCA), > who purchased the stone with Carl Esparza from the finder. > > Carl told me the following story over the phone: > He was contacted "out of the blue" by someone hunting in the Mifflin > strewn-field. According to Carl, the finder stated that he thought > there was a "conspiracy against him," because no one would offer him > more than $5/g. and he believed his finds were worth more than that. > So, according to Carl, he then offered the finder $10/g, and a deal was > struck. > > But...the finder asked that he not be paid via paypal or wire > transfer; he wanted cash mailed to a P.O. Box. > > So, Carl mailed the money to the P.O. Box and the first of two 'Mifflin' > stones was over-nighted to him the next day. It should be noted that > Carl included Greg Catterton as his partner in this deal, and Greg > sent over several hundred dollars to help pay for the stones. > > Unfortunately, as Carl said over the phone, his old computer recently > died, so he lacks the name and email address of the finder, as well as > the number/address of the P.O. Box to which he sent the money. Carl > is also unwilling to share the bank receipt from the transaction which > would prove that he did make a large cash withdrawal for the stones. > I asked Carl for the finder's phone number, but he told me that he had > recently tried to call the finder, himself, only to find that the > number had been disconnected. > He was unwilling to share the number with me, regardless. > > On the phone, Carl suggested that his source had likely ripped him > off, and he said that he believed that it was the reason why he had > been asked to send the money untraceably, as he did; Carl described > the situation as a "typical scam." > > He also suggested that the stones *might* be from an unrelated fall -- > or could be the result of Mifflin being an 'Almahata Sitta sort of > fall.' > > I can't disprove either of those ideas, but they are unlikely for the > following reasons: > > 1) Almahata Sitta is a unique event in the history of meteoritics. > Different lithologies have been observed in many meteorites, but to > have individual stones of completely different and unrelated meteorite > types falling separately is unique. Out of the 1,238 accepted > observed falls in the meteoritical bulletin, only one has