Wednesday 21 December 2011

Blaine Reed Meteorites List 115 - H, E and D

Blaine Reed Meteorites List 115 - H, E and D
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
………………………………………………………LIST 115

December 20, 2011

Dear Collectors,

This is likely my last offering for 2011, though I might do a "don't want to have to inventory it" sale next week (though, to be honest, I have not come up with many such items yet0.

Here is an offering of only 3 specimens, but boy are they specimens! (I'd love to have these in my collection!) I have one each Howardite, Eucrite and Diogenite slice that are about as big (surface area) as any I have ever seen – real museum type display pieces! These are very thin but can be carefully handled (I have done it). These are each in their own Riker mount. PLEASE NOTE – these are being sold as specimens, not based on a per gram price for commonly available similar (but thicker) type material! If anybody out there has had some cutting work done with a wire saw, they will know that this expense can really add to the cost of resulting specimens (I once had a roughly 20cm x 15cm Seymchan pallasite slice cost $1000 per cut!!) 

I had hoped to "save" these back until we started to hear info that has been learned from the Dawn mission orbiting Vesta at this point. So far, I have only seen photos, no hard science. I have been told that this will likely stay this way as well. Apparently, they don't want to release any form of "preliminary" findings, only data once all the work has been done. This might be awhile and I DEFINITELY want to have what ever remains of these 3 on display in Tucson (I am running really low on large display pieces). So – now is the time!

HOWARDITE:

NWA (1811): Found 2001. Tkw = 8kg.
The total known weight on this listed in the bulletin is wrong. I think it is 3kg listed their. One look at this giant slice and it will be apparent that the 8kg the owner of this told me is the correct amount. This is a GIANT slice that is also quite aesthetic. It has clasts of many sizes and colors (mostly grays and browns) set in a nice light gray matrix. This is a complete slice and has crust along all but a tiny (25mm or so) portion of its edge. 
93.28 grams – 205mm x 162mm x 1mm - $3000

EUCRITE:

SAHARA (02501): Found 2002, Tkw = 3.96 kilograms.
This is an interesting slice. It is a medium to dark gray and does seem to show some rounded darker clasts in a finer (shock melted?) matrix. This looks, texturally, very much like the "rarer" Millbillillie material, but darker. This is a complete slice and shows crust along most of the edge (maybe 4 or 5 cm being a natural break).
35g – 160mm x 95mm x 1mm - $1000 

DIOGENITE:

NWA (4272): Found 2003. Tkw = 6768 grams.
This is a beautiful complete slice of a "common" diogenite (the pretty much all orthopyroxene type we usually think of. The classification system has recently been changed where all ultra mafic rocks (likely) from Vesta are labeled "Diogenite" and then are broken into orthopyroxenite, olivine-diogenites (harzbergite? – can't find the reference at the moment) and Dunites). This has that classic Jhonstown look to it; large (cm or so) green crystals in a light green matrix. This is also a complete slice. The shape clearly shows the rounded complete meteorite form, but there are only small patches of obvious crust spread around the edge of this. 
78.4 grams – 180mm x 125mm x 1mm - $3000

GROUP SPECIAL: ALL 3 for $6500 

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Blaine Reed Meteorites - List 114 - last of collection and Seymchan display pieces

Blaine Reed Meteorites - List 114 - last of collection and Seymchan display pieces


Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
………………………………………………………LIST 114


December 6, 2011


Dear Collectors,


Here is the last of the "new" collection stuff I got after the Denver show. I also have put in an extra section of some super Seymchan pieces that were left in my hands after the show (mostly for storage, but it also gives me the chance to offer them to you/ buy what I want for inventory before I return them their owner at the Tucson show). Mostly I wanted to have the spheres (both all metal that are fantastically etched and a couple REALLY pallasitic ones) offered before Christmas, incase there is anyone out there with a fairly fat wallet needing a gift for a sphere collector (don't laugh, this is a HUGE market. I have already sold the two largest that were left with me). And, for the person with really deep pockets, a HUGE beautifully etched complete slice! (I actually have two of these, so some one could have matching end-tables if they wanted).


CANYON DIABLO, Arizona: Coarse octahedrite. Oxide fragment.
This was with a Haxtun, CO label but it is really a Diablo oxide fragment (I recognize the shape, layered texture and the type dirt still stuck to parts of it).
8.1 gram oxide fragment – 25mm x 10mm x 10mm - $2


DIMMITT, Texas: (H3.7). Found 1942. Tkw = 200+ kilograms.
Here is a smaple of probably the most under appreciated meteorite available. To scientists, it is important as it a regolith breccia (from the surface of the H parent body) that contains micro-diamonds (pre-solar?), chunks of various other meteorite types 9that crashed into the H parent body) as well as the usual chondrule-rich type 3 texture. I guess a large part of the problem is that this tends to be a dark meteorite in slices, so these features generally do not show well. This piece however, shows breccia texture and chondrules on the less polished side than most specimens.
23.9 gram complete slice – 46mm x 32mm x 5mm - $35


GIBEON, Namibia: Fine octahdedrite (IVA). Found 1836.
This is a small thin slice with a nice etch. There is a bit of light brown staining on parts, but nothing that looks to threaten the long-term survival of the piece. One edge of this is natural, the others are cut (as usual).
16.9 gram etched slice – 35mm x 32mm x 2mm - $30 


HAXTUN, Colorado: (H/L 4). Found 1975. Tkw = 16.5+ kilograms.
This is a small end piece. One half of the back (natural) side shows the weird smooth greenish colored exterior that covered much of the pieces of this I had.
2.9 gram end piece – 25mm x 14mm x 5mm - $10


HENBURY, Australia: Medium octahedrite (IIIAB). Found 1931.
This is just a typical individual as found. It has the usual nice orange-brown color and a somewhat flat shrapnel shape.
21.2 gram individual – 30mm x 20mm x 9mm - $30


IMILAC, Chile: (Plallasite). Ound 1822.
This is one of the sandy-crystal "shrapnel fragments" that were found near the main impact pit. 
5.0g fragment – 20mm x 13mm x 7mm - $35


NANTAN, China: Medium octahedrite (IAB).
This is actually a nice little piece. It is a tumbled oxide (but feels heavy enough to be metal yet) that has a nice blue-gray color and nice "worry stone" shape (flat, rounded). Best of all though, is this should not rust!
38.0 gram tumbled oxide fragment – 45mm x 30mm x 10mm – 45


ODESSA, Texas. Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1922.
This is a nice natural individual left as it was found (rusty exterior, a bit of thin caliche in spots). This has a nice shape (rare for most Odessa's).
76.2 gram natural individual – 45mm x 22mm x 20mm - $80


SEYMCHAN, Russia: (Pallasite). Display specimens.
These are a mix of display type pieces. The etched ones (all iron) show fantastic structure (hard not to spend a lot of time contemplating these pieces) and the pallasitic specimens are intensely rich with olivine.


1) Huge complete etched slices. Real museum pieces!
a) 8750 grams – 530mm x 410mm x 6mm - $11,500
b) 9850 grams – 500mm x 450mm x 7mm - $13,000


2) Large to huge complete pallasite slices: The "small" one has larger more gemmy crystals and passes light through many of them, looking more like Esquel or Imilac and has a neat animal like shape. There are some zones of metal (or just a bit less olivine) in this piece that makes for an interesting contrast (it has been etched on one side and simply polished on the other). The large piece is intensely olivine rich, but has many smaller crystals and is thicker (it would likely fall apart if cut thinner there is such a high degree of olivine in this) so light passes through only a few areas on this one. This piece also has an animal-like shape (perhaps better than the 990g one) – looking much like a Buffalo (I know, they really are Bison) resting on the ground.
a) 990 gram complete slice – 280mm x 200mm x 3mm - $11,000
b) 4120 gram complete slice – 540mm x 320mm x 6mm - $25,000


3) Spheres: These are wonderfully well prepared! All come with a small plastic sphere stand.
a) 374.7 gram etched iron – 45mm diameter - $700 
b) 623.5 gram etched iron sphere – 53.1mm diameter - $1200
c) 166.2 gram PALLASITE sphere – 41.3mm diameter - $950


3) End piece: This is a wonderful display specimen! It sits just right naturally. It has a great "differential etch". This is the old museum style where the specimen was given a high polish and the edge was protected with wax before etching. This leaves a shiny edge (about 6mm wide) around the outer edge and the usual etch in the center. The back side of this has been brushed and has a nice thumb-printed texture to it. 
a) 7970 gram end piece – 180mm x 150mm x 80mm - $2900