Blaine Reed Meteorites- List 125 - Couple irons, etc. 14AUG2012
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………………LIST 125
August 14, 2012
Dear Collectors,
This was supposed to go out last Tuesday but I was not back from the show yet. I thought about waiting until next Tuesday (the properly scheduled time for an offering) but I have an up coming issue next week that meant I would likely have little time to take and ship orders (and may even interfere with my preparations for Denver). That issue is I get to go to trial against the clown that has been selling fake meteorites supposedly found in Montrose (about 20 miles South of me) the past few years. Thankfully, I a will be testifying on the side of "The People of Colorado" in all of this (after all, it was my purchasing a specimen he was publicly selling and proving it was fake is what started all of this). I know the "defendant" thinks he is going to get me arrested at all of this for "fraud and conspiracy" for saying his material is not real (at least the pieces I have been able to run some analysis work on – can't make any absolute claims on the others). I certainly doubt he will have much luck in that area but this whole thing may get ugly and take considerable time regardless. I apologize to the many of you out there that received rather frightening demands/ invitations/ "electronic subpoenas" from this guy the past few weeks. I have not been able to get the Mesa County DA's office to respond to requests concerning the legitimacy of these "subpoenas" (and have received a bit of heat from some of you that have received them). However, I have heard from officials a bit higher up the food chain (the State Attorney General's office) that those of you that have received these have no obligation to act on them. You must be formally served, as I was, with an official court subpoena to be required to show for the trial. (Darn, and I thought I'd host a big trial/ meteorite people cook out/ party here with all the people that "had to show up" for this circus).
Anyway, I just got in a couple nice irons, a few small scraps from an old research collection and had some things that were sitting around for awhile so here is a (very) brief offering.
ALLENDE, Mexico: Carbonaceous (CV3.2). Fell February 8, 1969.
Here are 3 fresh fragments that, unfortunately, have no crust. These were out of an old research collection.
6.7 grams 3 fragments - $45
GEBEL KAMIL, Egypt: Ni-rich ataxite (ungrouped). Found 2008.
This is a nice piece of the material that was found when a fresh crater (complete with rays) was found on satellite photos. Studies show that debris from the impact cover an ancient road/ trail. It appears the this 148 foot impact happened around 5000 years ago – or after the trail was in place (so the impact was likely witnessed by ancient people). This is a nice, as found, natural shrapnel fragment with a nice chocolate brown color.
220.9 gram natural individual – 80mm x 40mm x 20mm - $200
GIBEON, Namibia: Fine octahedrite (IVA). Found 1836.
This is a nice as found natural small individual. It is elongate/ pointed piece and could almost be used as a spear point. This has a nice natural orange/ brown color and a nice sculpted shape.
108.6 gram natural individual – 90mm x 30mm x 15mm - $110
JULESBURG, Colorado: (L3.6). Found 1983. Tkw = 60+ kilograms.
This was the "famous" meteorite that was found discarded at the local dump. I did some field work in the area and did manage to get a hold of a roughly 1kg individual many years ago. This is a rectangular slice that was obviously cut from one of the large slices from the mass found at the dump (Glenn Huss – American Meteorite Lab got that one. This does not have a Huss number on it though). One edge (about 35mm long) has a nice thumb-print textured brown crust. The interior shows some obvious chondrules (lots more on careful inspection) and plenty of metal in a mottled dark gray/ jade green matrix.
58.3 gram slice – 80mm x 35mm x 6mm - $580
LEEDEY, Oklahoma: (L6). Fell November 25, 1943. Tkw = 51.5 kilograms.
Here is a nice slice that was set aside by a collector who recently decided to put their limited funds elsewhere. This has one long edge of black crust (about 95mm long worth). The interior is nearly white with some patches of light brown staining (about as fresh as this comes).
82.4 gram slice – 80mm x 72mm x 5mm - $825
RICHARDTON, North Dakota: (H5), veined. Fell June 30, 1918. Tkw = 90.9 kilograms.
This is a small fresh fragment from the same source (old research collection) as the Allende above. Also like the Allende pieces above, this has no crust.
1.1 gram fragment – 10mm x 9mm x 8mm - $20