Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 159

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 159

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487

brmeteorites@yahoo.com

…………………………………………………LIST 159

August 19, 2014

Dear collectors,

Here is the second batch of pieces that came in with the “old collection”. I also got a few more of the rare witnessed fall fragments/ crumbs in as well and have listed them here to have a more typical 7 or 8 piece offering. 

ARCHIE, Missouri: (H6). Fell August 10, 1932. Tkw = 5.1 kilograms.

This is yet another of my small scraps that seems that very little is “out”. In the Catalog of Meteorites, it seems that a little over 4860 grams of this is listed as being tied up in museum collections.

                .038 gram fragment in capsule – 4mm x 2mm x 2mm - $20

                .13 gram fragment – 8mm x 5mm x 2mm - $50

CANAKKALE, Turkey: (L6). Fell July 1964. Tkw = 4+ kilograms.

This is listed as “several pieces found, the largest weighing 4kg”, implying that a fair amount of this might be out there. However, the collections lists in the Catalog of Meteorites shows that only about 600 grams is preserved in museum collections. I don’t recall ever seeing this name before, so I don’t think that much of the “missing material” has made it into collector’s hands.

                Small fragment in capsule – about 2.5mm x 2mm x 1.5mm - $20

                .058 gram fragment – 5mm x 3mm x 2mm - $40

GLORITTA MOUNTAIN, New Mexico: (Pallasite). Found 1884.

Here is a nice complete individual as found. It has some nice pitting but I cannot distinctly make out any olivine so I’d be hesitant to call this anything more than an iron individual. Regardless, this does have some nice areas of still fresh and flow-lined fusion crust. I remember before Sikhote-Alin came out, this meteorite was the ONLY way a collector could have honest real iron fusion crust for their collections. The previous owner got this piece from Bethany Sciences in January of 1994. This particular specimen is actually the piece Ron used as the picture piece in his catalog at the time. I have a copy of this catalog that will go with this specimen. This also comes with the original Bethany Sciences “Certificate of Authenticity”, though this has been (long ago) hand corrected from a weight of 54.6 grams to 45.6 grams which still seems to be a bit wrong as I keep coming up with 45.1 grams for this specimen.

                45.1 gram complete individual – 45mm x 18mm x 16mm - $650

HENBURY, Australia: Medium octahedrite (IIIAB). Found 1931.

Here is a somewhat larger than I typically get specimen. It is nothing special, unfortunately, being mostly a roughly flattened oval shape with only soft thumb-prints. It still has its “as found” appearance - a nice orange brown color. Not a bad piece, just not a sculpture, and priced accordingly.

                71.5 gram natural individual – 45mm x 30mm x 12mm - $110

MOUNT VERNON, Kentucky: (Pallasite). Found 1868, Tkw = 159 kilograms.

The Murchison on my last offering was my big plus surprise in the collection, this one was my big minus surprise unfortunately. I was told it was 13.5 grams and measured 43mm x 36mm x 2mm and was “fresh”. Well, I got 6.4 grams measuring roughly 30mm x 20mm x 2mm that is quite rusty. I think that this would be repairable BUT it came to me in 4 pieces that don’t seem to fit back together completely (and I am usually pretty good at puzzles). This does still have some large crystals that pass light nicely (one looks like it might produce a couple nice but small faceted gems if one were so inclined). I’m selling this one at a loss but someone out there will be able to add a new tough name to their pallasite collection for fairly cheap. The previous owner purchased this specimen from Robert Haag in January of 1994.

                6.4 gram broken, oxidized slice - $100-SOLD

ST. MICHEL, Finland: (L6). Ell July 12, 1910. Tkw = 17 kilograms.

After the last piece I had sold in seconds and many people wanted it (guess I priced it too cheap), I asked the source of that if they had any more. This is what I got. Not a “large” slice like the last one, more like the fragments of other rare falls I have been getting. Anyway, this is a lot of fragments from small crumbs up to around 9mm x 4mm x 2mm. Most of the bigger pieces show nice shock veining as well.

                .42 grams of fragments and crumbs - $15 -SOLD

SIKHOTE-ALIN, Russia: Coarsest octahedrite (IIB). Fell February 12, 1947.

This is a complete fusion crusted individual that also happens to be oriented. It is not the perfect dome type of oriented but well oriented none the less. This has a general conical shape (obviously pointed front, generally flat back) that shoes a few elongated (some call “flower petal”) thumbprints on the front and a distinct sharp roll-over rim running completely around the back.

                30.3 gram oriented individual – 30mm x 22mm x 12mm - $75

TISSINT,, Morocco: Martian (Shergottite). Olivine-phyric. Fell July 18, 2011. Tkw = over 7 kilograms.

Here is an amazing piece I got from Matt for a potential customer a month or so ago (that person decided to take a sliced Martian instead of this fragment). It was the Viking lander’s readings of the Martian atmosphere back in the 1970’s that gave us the biggest clue that these meteorites (the SNCs) were from Mars. Those readings showed that gasses trapped inside melt pockets in shock veins of these stones isotopically matched the Martian atmosphere. This particular specimen is incredible for showing these melt pockets. Probably better than 30% of this piece is melt vein material. Even better still, this melt veining is full of gas pockets. Many of these can be easily seen with your eye as the interiors of these pockets is super shiny, compared to the duller black of the general melt material. I am quite certain that this specimen has many more unbroken melt pockets (that likely still contain Martian atmosphere inside them) are yet hiding in the interior of this piece.

                1.6 gram fragment with heavy shock melt veins – 13mm x 11mm x 7mm - $1200

Blane Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 158 - some old collection rarities

Blane Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 158 - some old collection rarities

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
brmeteorites@yahoo.com

…………………………………………………LIST 158
August 5, 2014

Dear collectors,

Well here it is right after the Creede show (I haven’t even finished unpacking yet) and here I am sending out a list after I said I wasn’t going to have one. Well, a few days after I posted that statement, a collection of mostly older (purchase time not necessarily fall date) rarities fell into my lap. So, now I do have some new material to offer. This collection was from an old time collector that has decided to thin the herd and raise a little cash. This material will be spread out over two lists, as there is more cataloging, etc. work that needs to be done (alone with unpacking, catching up from being gone or 5 days). Anyway, here is the first offering.

BRENHAM, Kansas: (Pallasite). Found 1882.
Here is a natural individual that does indeed look just as it was likely found. Regardless, this one will be sold at a loss, unfortunately. The previous owner was apparently led to believe that this piece was personally found by Nininger and paid over $300 for the thing many years ago. I suppose it is possible that it may have indeed been found by Nininger but I have no way to support/ prove this. It does not show any hints of ever having a Nininger number on it anywhere that I can see (as I was led to believe it might have). Regardless, it comes with a Bethany Sciences “Certificate of Authenticity” (that also does not mention anything about this being a personal Niniger recovery either, unfortunately). Not a bad little specimen actually, just not worth anything near as much as it would be if it were Niniger numbered.
28.3 gram natural individual – 30mm x 25mm x 20mm - $110

GEORGIAITE: Tektite form Georgia.
I can’t recall if or when was the last time I had one of these to sell. The previous owner got this from Bethany Sciences in 1995 (and this comes with the original Bethany Sciences certificate of authenticity that came with it). This piece is ½ of a thin oval/ disk (the straight break on one edge is ancient). This piece does not have much or surface features, only some fine, shallow pitting. However, its thinness gives you a BIG surface area for the weight and shows the light olive green color fantastically.
5.5 gram individual as found – 35mm x 20mm x 5mm - $500-SOLD

HUGOTON, Kansas: (H5). Ound 1927. Tkw = 355.6 kilograms.
This is one of Nininger’s biggest individual rock recoveries (I know, Bondoc was bigger). Interestingly, I don’t recall having a piece of this quite famous meteorite before (at least not anytime remotely recently). From The Catalog of Meteorites collections data, it does seem that most of this (over 325kg anyway) is tied up in museum collections, many of which list surprisingly small pieces of this for their collections for such a big find. This piece is Nininger numbered and comes with a couple old labels; one a simple typed label and the other from Excalibur Mineral Company.
9.27 gram Nininger numbered fragment – 30mm x 20mm x 10mm - $250 --SOLD

IRGHIZITE: Zamanshin crater, Russia.
This is a larger than usual bent quasi tear drop shaped piece. It is also smoother than most but still shows a good number of the micro-tektites (.5mm to 1mm beads) stuck to its surface. The previous owner paid $100 for the thing from Bethany Sciences back in 1997. This comes with the “Certificate of Authenticity” that originally came with it.
2.0 gram individual – 22mm x 20mm x 4mm - $30--SOLD

MURCHISON, Australia: Cabonaceous (CM2). Fell September 28, 1969.
This piece is nice enough that I am tempted to keep it. It was the best surprise in the collection for me (nice after the several “let downs”). It was sold to me as a “fragment with some crust” Boy does it have crust, something over 60% of its surface would be my guess/ estimate. In fact, this would be better described as ½ of an individual. This thing is also very fresh. It certainly did not sit out long after the fall. This piece was long ago purchased from Robert Haag and still has Roberts info card (all though folded) with it.
7.73 gram ½ individual – 20mm x 20mm x 15mm - $1100--SOLD

PLAINVIEW (1917), Texas: (H5), brecciated. Found 1917.
This is a nice part slice (one cut edge) that was purchased from Robert Haag in March of 1986. It has lots of fresh metal and troilite in a mottled tan and brown brecciated matrix. There is nice black fusion crust along about 2/3 of the uncut edge.
48.8 gram part slice – 65mm x 30mm x 6mm - $200

WELLS, Texas: (LL3.3). Found 1985, recognized 1996. Tkw = 4135 grams.
This wedged part slice was purchased from Alan Lang in August of 1998. It comes with two labels. One is hand written by the previous owner and the other looks to be computer generated that looks like it could be an old Lang’s label (that had the name cut off maybe). Anyway, thanks to the many equally or more primitive LL chondrites coming out of NWA, the price on this piece is less than what it sold for back in 1998 (which was $150, according to the previous owner).
6.4 gram part slice – 30mm x 14mm x 5mm - $100--SOLD