Wednesday 16 December 2009

Blaine Reed Meteorites- List 82 - end 2009 offering

List 82 - end 2009 offering

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………LIST 82
December 14, 2009

Dear Collectors,

This will likely be my last offering of 2009. I have done a bit of my inventory work over the past couple weeks. So far it has resulted in the "only one or 2 pieces left" offering below. Unfortunately, I have not had time (and likely will not have time until VERY late in the month) to complete this work due to a family issue. My aunt passed away December 1st and left my brothers and I executors of the estate. We have accomplished much in cleaning up and preparing for the many "estate sales" we will have to host but this has already put me on two trips over the mountains (at the worst possible times so far - horrible icy roads, blowing snow and such) to Denver twice already and many more trips are yet to come (including maybe even leaving again in a few days). Any way, things are a bit overwhelming right now but I will try to keep tabs while on the road (retrieving phone messages from Linda and checking e-mail on my aunt's computer while we still have service at her house), but I will apologize in advance for any delays that (likely) will happen during this time.

These items are all "only ones remaining" so I have priced them to move and no substitutions are available, so contact me as soon as possible if you would like any of these.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas, Hanukah, holiday season and a great new year!

ZARAGOZA, Spain: Fine octahedrite (IVA), anomalous. Found 1950's. Tkw = 162kg.
This is my last bit of this odd material (though I do have a 27g slice that was sent off to a charity auction for Cascadia Meteorite Lab that I have not heard back yet as to whether or not it sold - so it may be available a bit later). This has a strange medium gray color with a weak, re-crystallized etch structure (due to being heated at some point in its past - likely while in space by impact or an orbit pass very close to the sun).
4.9 gram slice - 15mm x 10mm x 5mm - $20

DIMMITT, Texas: (H3.7). Found 1942.
This is an end piece (my only one) that I got from the Monig collection some years ago. The back side is all natural but it is roughly half natural break and half crusted and thumb-printed. This sits nice to display well naturally. This is probably the cheapest named H3 available (and even cheap for NWA type 3's).
244.5 gram end piece - 60mm x 43mm x 35mm - $230

ETTER, Texas: (L5). Found 1965. Tkw = about 340kg.
I thought I was completely sold out of this, but found this fantastic slice hiding in with some other slices (Northbranch I think). Any way, this piece has all the features that make Etter so popular. It has the nice dark jade-green color, lots of metal and troilite and a couple nice metal veins (one particularly clear for this meteorite). This was cut from a 180 pound piece that I bought (with a bank loan) back in 1993. Robert Haag bought and owned a 115 pound end piece for years. He sold this too Matt Morgan and I a few years ago and we cut this into some great large slices. This is my last piece and a great display specimen.
322.3 gram complete slice - 170mm x 110mm x 6mm - $480

NWA (543): (LL4). Found January 2000. Tkw = 105 grams.
This is a nice quite fresh complete slice. It is light gray (with some hints of browning in a couple areas) and shows lots of chondrules of various shades of generally darker gray. This looks very much like a piece of the Tuxtuac fall rather than an NWA find.
24.6 gram compete slice - 43mm x 38mm x 6mm - $99

NWA (736): (H3.7). Found January 2000. Tkw = 2766grams.
This is quite nice and fresh. It shows lots of small chondrules and metal in a light gray and tan matrix. These are the last two pieces of this.
a) 2.3 gram end piece - 19mm x 14mm x 3mm - $7
b) 3.4 gram end piece - 19mm x 19mm x 4mm - $10

NWA (1930): (LL3). Found 2003. Tkw = 7.5kg.
This is my last specimen of this and priced at less than half of my usual price. It is a nice end piece that displays nicely naturally. It has lots of chondrules in a mottled light gray in spots and brown in others matrix.
29.5 gram end piece - 32mm x 25mm x 21mm - $120

OUM DREYGA, Western Sahara: (H3-5). Fell October 16, 2003.
This is what originally was being offered years ago as "Amgala". These are my last two pieces of this. They are both complete individuals with fresh black crust covering most of their exteriors with the remainder being a very thin secondary crust covering a late atmospheric break (each look like they roughly broke in half late in their fall). Nice pieces!
a) 30.7 gram individual - 43mm x 26mm x 14mm - $105
b) 73.3 gram individual - 50mm x 31mm x 20mm - $250

RENFROW, Oklahoma: (L6). Found 1986, recognized 1995. Tkw = 81.7kg.
Here is a nice little piece that would be perfect for making tin-sections. This has a uniform dark gray (nearly black) color with a good amount of metal and sulfides scattered through out. My last piece (though I do have a nice 689 gram complete slice on consignment right now for $990).
7.4 gram slice - 22mm x 15mm x 6mm - $12

NWA (2932): (Mesosiderite) . Found 2005. Tkw = 15+kg.
This is probably the nicest msosiderite I have ever had. I do have a few of the metal nodule end pieces from this meteorite, but this is my last nice true mesosiderite looking specimen (though I am trying to locate more of this stuff). This piece has lots of metal, including a few metal nodules. A great specimen!
36.5 gram end piece - 39mm x 31mm x 15mm - $165

PUTORANA, Russia. (Mesosiderwrong) terrestrial nickel iron in basalt.
This is fantastically interesting stuff. It looks like a meteorite, has nickel (in the form of Kamacite - the low nickel allow in meteorites), Troilite and more. I had oxygen isotope work done by NASA that said "not of this Earth". Unfortunately, they saw native copper (and re-did oxygen work that resulted in it still being very strange but possibly within earth rock ranges after all) and decide that it MUST be terrestrial (then why is the obvious copper grains in Franconia not a problem?). Any way, this has been extremely popular over the years (and is even rarer than a mesosiderite as a terrestrial "iron in basalt") and I now have only these 3 small pieces remaining out of the nearly 30kg I purchased years ago (when I got that first "not of this earth" notification on the original oxygen work).
a) 3.6 gram slice - 15mm x 14mm x 5mm - $5
b) 12.6 gram slice - 25mm x 20mm x 6mm - $16
c) 13.2 gram slice - 27mm x 20mm x 6mm - $16.50

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Blaine Reed Meteorites … LIST 81

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………LIST 81
December 1, 2009

Dear Collectors,
Here is a list of items that might be good for gifts for Christmas. These are mostly items that should appeal to the average person (non- meteorite collectors) and even the meteorite collector as well (though most of you will already have pieces of most of this stuff).
Contact me as soon as possible if you are interested in any of these things. I want to be sure to get them too you in time for them to be re-packed and shipped as gifts if that is what is going to happen to them. Due to a rapidly developing family emergency, I may have to leave town for a few days (multiple times over the next few weeks actually) so that may cause some delays (hence the hope that I can get as many orders lined up and packed quickly as possible). Don't be afraid to contact me later and ask about any of these things (or things on earlier lists for that manner) though. I realize that it sometimes takes time to make purchase decisions (particularly for gifts). I will do my best to be sure that you get it in time regardless of the delays on your or my part.

CAMPO del CIELO, Argentina: Coarse octahedrite (IAB).
These are neat little pendants that have been made from the polished angular fragments of this meteorite that have had a small loop soldered to the top so they can easily be hung on a chain (neck or key). These are hugely popular at my shows and I often sell out what I bring (I did in Socorro). Unfortunately, I do not have the chains for these. Years ago I used to try and carry various chains for such things. It seemed that no matter how many different ones I had, I never had the right style (gold vs. silver etc. proper thickness or length). So I made the (possibly poor) decision to let the customers find what suits them best (these things can be easily found at Wal-Mart, Michael's or such for surprisingly cheap). Sizes (weights and dimensions) are approximate, as I have many pieces (except for the extra large) in each size range to pick from for you.
A) Small: about 3 grams each - 12mm x 10mm x 7mm - $3
B) Medium: about 8 grams - 19mm x 13mm x 9mm - $8
C) Large: about 13 grams each - 22mm x 18mm x 9mm - $13
D) Extra large: about 25 grams each - 20mm x 20mm x 19mm - $25 - good key-chain size.
E) Small gold plated piece: 1.8 grams - 12mm x 9mm x 5mm. This thing really looks like a nice little gold nugget (aesy to tell it is not with a magnet) - $5
F) Extra special piece: This is a neat little (8.6 grams - 17mm x 17mm x 6mm) piece that is a "puzzle piece" it has two interlocked pieces that are held together naturally. This stuff is broken apart along its natural Widmanstatten structure. This piece managed to partially separate along one band so there are now two halves that, though they wiggle, they are still firmly connected to each other. Really cool and the only piece like it I have ever found in this material - $50

SIKHOTE-ALIN: Russia. Coarsest octahedrite (IIAB). Fell Feb. 12, 1947.
Here are two different pendant options. One is basic and simple (bet yet has its own "chain" and looks quite nice) and the other quite elegant (professionally wire-rapped in sterling silver, but no chain).
a) Nice dark (not wire-brushed too an extreme) flat shrapnel piece (about 12 grams - 25mm x 25mm x 5mm) that has had a hole drilled in it (that must have taken some work), a loop put through that and hung on a dark leather-looking (though it is a synthetic material I am sure) "chain". Actually quite nice! I need to remember where I got this and make it a regular inventory item - $25
b) Nice quasi- heart shaped shrapnel piece (around 16 grams - 22mm x 26mm x 8mm) that has been wire wrapped in sterling silver. The meteorite has been cleaned such that parts (the edges) are still dark but the center is a medium gray metallic. Very nice piece! - $50

NWA (482): Lunar dust pendant.
These (all 2 of them I have left) are really nice. They are small (about 15mm long, 10mm diameter) teardrop glass vials that have a good amount of dust saved from the cutting of the famous NWA (482) lunar meteorite inside. These have been fully sealed (so no dust will escape) and capped with a 14k gold bell cap. They are ready to hang on any chain. - $100

INDOCHINITE PENDANT:
These are pendants made from a small (about 5g about 2 or 3cm across) tektite individuals (mostly flat or elongate) from Thailand. They have had a small loop attached at the top. These have been cleaned so they have a nice shiny black color (except some are thin enough to show the dark olive-green real color of the glass when a bit of light passes through them) and have the nice classic pitted surface features. Nice little jewelry pieces, but not suggested for use banging around on a key chain (the keys will likely ultimately win the battle) - $4 each.

CARVED MOLDAVITE PENDANTS:
I got a few of these neat carved moldavites a few years ago. They are nice individual moldavite specimens that have been carefully carved such that they have a beautiful lady's face in the center with the surrounding natural moldavite surface features looking like her hair. These are very nicely done and no two are alike. I had been selling these simply as "specimens". I recently decided to get a couple professionally wire-wrapped for pendant use. The results = WOW. I went ahead and got them all wrapped. I got one done in silver and the rest done in gold (the gold seems to work a bit better visually with the green of the moldavite).
a) Carving wire wrapped in sterling sliver. Specimen is roughly 16mm x 15mm x 10mm and overall pendant is 27mm x 22mm x 12mm - $100
b) Carving wrapped in 14k gold filled wire. Moldavite is roughly 20mm x 18mm x 8mm and overall pendant is 30mm x 18mm x 10mm - $100

MOON/ MARS BOXES:
These are neat little 55mm x 35mm plastic boxes that have a picture from either the Moon or Mars (depending, obviously, on what type rock it contains) with a 1cm round window cut out to one side that has a small (roughly 1mm x 2mm or so) piece of moon or mars rock in the center. These are neat little items and a huge hit at my retail shows and are a fantastic gift for kids or anybody interested in rocks, astronomy, meteorites or anything out of the ordinary..
a) Moon box - $25
b) Mars box - $25
c) One of each - $40

METEORITE POCKET WATCH:
I think this is the thing that got me started into pocket watches (many of you may not know that I have taught myself how to fix old watches and have built up quite a collection of antique pocket watches. I even have some for sale; ranging from $20 for a 40 or 50 year old "dollar watch" to a $1500 for a 270 year old specimen and everything in between. So, let me if you have a watch collector or antique collector on your list and I will see if I can come up with something for you). This is a "skeleton" watch that has front and back crystals so you can see through it (and the cut out movement plates) to see all of the gears and such doing their thing. What is special about this though is its case. It is completely (including the winding crown, bow, stem and all) machined out of a piece of Gibeon meteorite! It was then etched and gold plated. This has a plate inside labeled "S. Racine" (the maker) 001/100. This was the first one of what was to be a run of 100 meteorite watches. I don't think more than a handful were ever made (and they were all different in case style and decoration, so no two are alike as far as I am aware). A truly special and unique item - $3500

METEORITE COINS:
These are roughly 2" (50mm) diameter medallions that have a small piece (around 5mm size in the case of the Campo and NWA (869) coins, a small fragment or pinch of fragments and dust in the case of the moon or mars coins). Each is individually serial numbered as part of a limited (nearly sold out in some cases) run. The Campo and NWA (869) coins each come with a serial numbered "certificate of authenticity" as well (I
Did not get these for the moon/mars ones though).
a) Campo del Cielo or NWA (869 ) coins - $30 each
b) Moon or Mars coins - $70 each