Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 161

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 161

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
brmeteorites@yahoo.com e-mail.
…………………………………………………………….LIST 161
October 7, 2014

Dear Collectors,

Sorry this is getting out a little later than I had planned. I got tied up with a few things today.

Here is the e-mail version of my mailed “after Denver”/ fall list. Many if you (those that are current customers anyway) have or will be receiving this in the mail (likely today, if I timed my mailing properly). I think I may have said this in the past but many of you have said “remove me from the physical mailing list and send e-mail only”. I do indeed do that for some, mostly a few overseas customers and people that are buyers of very specific things (like I have customers who buy ONLY etched iron slices for making guitar picks or “New Age” shops that buy only Moldavite and Libyan glass). I don’t mind sending out paper lists to the bulk of you though. They really are not that expensive and it saves me the trouble of trying to figure out who is on the mailing list and who is not when I go through my customer files. However, the biggest reason is simply ugly old-fashioned marketing. When I send out an e-mail offering, I get orders in a matter of minutes but then after a couple hours – NOTHING. I may have 90% of the items left, but the sales are gone, finished , over (I do get an order the next day on rare occasions, but they are very rare occasions). E-mal is so very ephemeral. They only “last” mere minutes to hours. If they are not noticed/ acted upon in mere minutes, they simply disappear by getting buried under new, now more important, e-mails needing attention. A paper list, however has SOME lasting power. Until the receiver makes the active motion of tossing it out, it still has the chance to “sell something”. And this does seem to happen. Granted, the bulk of my orders from a mailed list are in the first week or two, but I have had orders come in weeks (and sometimes even months) later from a mailed list (and usually I can satisfy the request. Though there are some items, like the Acosta Gneiss last time that sell out and the NWA 8457 here is likely to be an issue later). Anyway, if you absolutely hate “junk mail” I can remove you from the mailing list. But, don’t feel bad that I spent a little sending a list to you otherwise. Who knows, it might be you that notices something a couple weeks later that didn’t register on the first look over contacting me for an item.

Enjoy!

HENBURY, Australia: Medium octahedrite (IIIAB). Found 1931.
I used to have quite a lot of this famous meteorite. I had only a small not even handful of small pieces I’d set out at small shows as it is the only completely natural iron meteorite I have and it has a pleasing look. I just got a few “larger” pieces in as part of a collection. I decided to offer up all sizes I have here. This material has gotten hard to come by and the few pieces I have seen coming out of Australia these days are priced at (or above) $2/g. I have only one each of the two largest pieces, unfortunately.
1)Natural individuals as found:
a) 5.4 grams - 12mm x 12mm x 6mm - $10
b) 11.4 grams - 22mm x 11mm x 10mm - $20
c) 19.0 grams - 26mm x 18mm x 11mm - $32
d) 39.4 grams - 28mm x 28mm x 11mm - $63-SOLD
e) 71.5 grams - 45mm x 28mm x 12mm - sold-SOLD

NWA 6434: Ordinary chondrite. (H6) anomalous, S3,W3. Found before Feb 2009. Tkw = 423 grams.
This is another item that took some time (and a couple tries) to finally get classified. I was told it was an “H7” when I bought it (and paid quite high to get it). Unfortunately, thin-section work showed some indistinct chondrules remaining, making this an H6. However, this research work also showed that the pyroxene iron content (Fs #) was outside of and below the H-chondrite range. The Meteoritical Society Nomenclature Committee decided to label this meteorite as an “H6-anomalous” because of this strange and interesting feature. I believe that, at this point, this is the ONLY meteorite labeled as such. This is not much to look at visually though. It shows very little metal and a few faint chondrules in a medium to dark chocolate brown matrix.
1) Slices:
a) 1.0 grams - 13mm x 10mm x 2.5mm - $15
b) 2.3 grams - 25mm x 10mm x 2.5mm - $34
c) 4.2 grams - 23mm x 20mm x 3mm - $60
d) 8.0 grams - 35mm x 20mm x 3.5mm - $110
2) End pieces/ cut fragments:
a) 7.2 grams - 25mm x 15mm x 12mm - $85
b) 11.0 grams - 23mm x 18mm x 17mm - $130
c) 18.4 grams - 30mm x 30mm x 8mm - $200-SOLD

NWA 8193: Ordinary chondrite. (LL6), S3, W2. Found before February 2010. Tkw = 1.16kilograms.
This is one Matt picked up and I later got. He called it an LL even though I thought it was more likely just an L (it looks quite similar to NWA (869) in texture but does have less metal/ magnetic attraction). Obviously, Matt got this one right. This is brecciated and does show various recrystallized chondriotic clasts, lithic fragments and glassy fragments in a mottled gray, tan and brown matrix. I have surprisingly few pieces of even the sizes listed here as much of this stuff broke up on cutting (Matt got that fun job). Not sure why that happened, cracking from freeze-thaw action in some areas of the stone is my guess.
1) Slices:
a) 5.3 grams - 24mm x 14mm x 6mm - $19-SOLD
b) 10.2 grams - 30mm x 18mm x 6mm - $36
c) 14.2 grams - 37mm x 22mm x 6mm - $50
d) 26.1 grams - 60mm x 28mm x 5mm - $90
e) 42.5 grams - 70mm x 35mm x 6mm - $140

NWA 8457: Ordinary chondrite. (LL3.2). Found before February 2014. Tkw = 54.6 grams.
Here is one I was not going to get classified (too small). However Dr. Love in North Carolina wanted to work on a true type 3 meteorite. This little stone was all I had that I could pretty much guarantee was a type 3. Not only was it a type three though, it was a really low numbered (primitive) one! There are 19 total meteorites of this type known in the world. This is weathered (W3) but it shows LOTS of chondrules (of many colors and sizes) in a medium brown matrix. I have only these two pieces.
1) Cut fragments
a) 13.5 grams - 25mm x 22mm x 11mm - $200-SOLD
b) 23.6 grams - 40mm x 29mm x 9mm - $350-SOLD

ISHEYEVO, Russia: Carbonaceous chondrite (CH/CBb). Found October 2003. Tkw = 16 kilograms.
This is odd stuff. It pretty much looks like an iron or an enstatite perhaps but is really a carbonaceous. This is around 60%
metal! However, it does contain small (around .02 to 1.0mm diameter) chondrules and CAIs, clearly showing it is neither an iron or enstatite chondrite. This was found in October of 2003 by a tractor driver. It was September of 2004 before a piece was delivered for research. That work showed that not only was this a strange carbonaceous chondrite but that it was a unique one having features of both the CH and CBb (Bencubbin like but with tiny chondrules). As such, this is the ONLY meteorite in the world classified as a CH/CBb type! Neat stuff. I only have 40grams total available though (wish I had more).
1) Slices:
a) .52 grams - 8mm x 5mm x 2mm - $47
b) 1.26 grams - 10mm x 7mm x 3mm - $110
c) 2.4 grams - 17mm x 10mm x 2.5mm - $205-SOLD
d) 5.3 grams - 22mm x 17mm x 3mm - $440-SOLD
e) 10.1 grams - 35mm x 23mm x 3mm - $800-SOLD

NWA 8386: Achondrite. (Howardite). Found before February 2014. Tkw = 1002 grams.
I got a box of, frankly, really ugly fragments in Tucson towards the end of the show. These didn’t even look like meteorites but my XRF hinted that they were though. Cutting, however, revealed a really nice Moon rock looking brecciated interior. There are white, green and gray clasts of all sizes in a medium gray matrix. This is quite shocked and hard to cut (and impossible to break cleanly), a rare feature among HEDs but fairly common in lunars. Research showed this to be an HED meteorite composed of roughly 30% diogenite, 60% basaltic eucrite and 10% cumulate eucrite. This is likely a regolith breccia sample from the surface of the asteroid Vesta. The pieces listed here are all cut fragments/ end pieces but I do have a few slices available for those of you that prefer more of the interior over the natural exterior.
1) Cut fragments/ end pieces:
a) 2.1 grams - 22mm x 13mm x 5mm - $25
b) 4.3 grams - 25mm x 15mm x 7mm - $50
c) 9.2 grams - 25mm x 20mm x 10mm - $100
d) 15.1 grams - 40mm x 25mm x 10mm - $160-SOLD
e) 22.5 grams - 45mm x 38mm x 8mm - $237-SOLD
f) 33.3 grams - 50mm x 40mm x 10mm - $350

SPRINGWATER, Canada: (Pallasite). Found 1931. Tkw = about 200 kilograms.
Originally, only 68kg in three pieces were found. It was not until 2009 that the strewn filed was located and more pieces were found by using high-power deep seeking metal detector equipment. The pieces listed here are nice complete slices (and a nice end piece) from stones found during this second recovery. They are all cut really thin and pass light through most of the crystals. One side is polished to show bright shiny metal between the crystals and the other has been etched. Beautiful pieces and very rare, as few complete pallasite slices are available (at least in “affordable” sizes). I have several of the smaller size, but only one each of the large slice and end piece.
1) Complete slices: polished one side, etched on the other:
a) 17.4 grams - 55mm x 47mm x 1.5mm - $330-SOLD
b) 230.3 grams - 205mm x 130mm x 2mm - $4000
2) End piece:
a) 201 grams - 65mm x 60mm x 30mm - $3000

STRELLEY POOL STROMATOLITE: Some of the oldest “fossils”/ evidence of early life known.
Stromatolite “fossils” are clearly layered sediments that are formed by microbial mats living in shallow waters. These bio-films trap and bind sediments as the colony builds, giving broken pieces of the resulting rocks a bit of a tree-ring appearance. Storamtolites provide the most ancient records of life, with some dating to more than 3.5 billion years ago. These particular specimens are roughly 3.4 billion years old and come from Western Australia.
Roughly 20mm x 20mm x 10mm plus specimen in plastic display box - $25

NOTE: For those of you that missed out on pieces of the Acasta Gneiss last list, I have a few more specimens available now. If you asked for a piece but did not get one, I already have a piece set aside for you. I have maybe half a dozen more available in addition to those.

Please note:
The post office keeps increasing shipping rates (despite the government’s official claim is that there is no inflation). For small US orders $3 should still be fine for now. Larger orders are now $12 (insurance is extra if desired – I’ll look it up if you want it). The real increases came in overseas (or even Canada) shipping. These prices pretty much doubled from what they were a couple years ago. Now small overseas orders are around $9 (I’ll have to custom quote any larger items/ orders). Thankfully, it seems that the rate for registration (recommended on more valuable overseas orders) is still around $12.
I do have a new fax machine that seems to work (but I have to answer it and manually turn it on), so overseas people can contact me that way if they must However, for overseas orders, it probably is best to go ahead and use my brmeteorites@yahoo.com e-mail.