Blaine Reed Meteorites
P.O. Box 1141, Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
brmeteorites@yahoo.com
Dear Collectors,
Here is the second in a series of “After Tucson” offerings. It is likely that I will be cramming more of these offerings much closer together time wise than I usually do (but then, last year, I hardly did any of them the entire year). This is partly because many of these things are consigned items. The owners may want some of these back before I get a chance to try and sell them. I’d rather try to earn a little $ sending them to a buyer than just spending shipping money to send them back home. I don’t think some of them would be terribly happy if I waited until summer to offer their items to collectors (but then, maybe I could hold them for the Denver show if they didn’t sell then).
I do know “tax time” is upon us. I myself need to get that taken care. I generally have to wait as various museums and institutes send me 1099 forms (that MUST be reported on/ in my taxes). Unfortunately, a good number of them wait until the last legal day (March 31st I think) to send them out to me. Anyway, I do know many of us are worried about taxes. I also know many of us will be getting a refund (I will this year, thanks to the solar/ battery backup system I spent the later part of last year getting up and running). IF you are one of those lucky folks that are going to be getting a refund AND you see something on this list (or past and future ones for that matter) you want and would like to spend some of that refund $ on it, just let me know. I’ll be happy to set aside the item you want until your refund money comes in. All I ask is, if you do set something aside with me for this, let me know ASAP if, for some reason, you change your mind on wanting the specimen after all.
P.O. Box 1141, Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
brmeteorites@yahoo.com
Dear Collectors,
Here is the second in a series of “After Tucson” offerings. It is likely that I will be cramming more of these offerings much closer together time wise than I usually do (but then, last year, I hardly did any of them the entire year). This is partly because many of these things are consigned items. The owners may want some of these back before I get a chance to try and sell them. I’d rather try to earn a little $ sending them to a buyer than just spending shipping money to send them back home. I don’t think some of them would be terribly happy if I waited until summer to offer their items to collectors (but then, maybe I could hold them for the Denver show if they didn’t sell then).
I do know “tax time” is upon us. I myself need to get that taken care. I generally have to wait as various museums and institutes send me 1099 forms (that MUST be reported on/ in my taxes). Unfortunately, a good number of them wait until the last legal day (March 31st I think) to send them out to me. Anyway, I do know many of us are worried about taxes. I also know many of us will be getting a refund (I will this year, thanks to the solar/ battery backup system I spent the later part of last year getting up and running). IF you are one of those lucky folks that are going to be getting a refund AND you see something on this list (or past and future ones for that matter) you want and would like to spend some of that refund $ on it, just let me know. I’ll be happy to set aside the item you want until your refund money comes in. All I ask is, if you do set something aside with me for this, let me know ASAP if, for some reason, you change your mind on wanting the specimen after all.
CAPE YORK, Greenland: Iron. Medium octahedrite (IIIAB). Found 1815.
This piece does belong to me. It did not come with any kind of label. I couldn’t do anything with it in Tucson as I was not exactly certain just what it was (I had my suspicions though). Yes, I had the XRF and I could have run it to get its makeup (Ni, Co, Ge, P, S…). However, the actual data I needed (analysis results on different iron meteorites) were all in a book sitting on a shelf in my office. Thankfully, my suspicions (from remembering very similar pieces floating around years ago) turned out to be correct (or this would have ended up being very expensive Toluca or El Sampal for me). The XRF data clearly says this IS a piece of the famous Cape York meteorite. There was indeed a fair amount of this available years ago. Not so much these days. I don’t think I have had a piece of it in around 10 years or so. I do have people asking for pieces of this from time to time. So, (this is NOT intended to be any kind of threat) if this does not sell as is fairly soon, I will cut this into smaller pieces to offer on a future list (maybe even my Spring 2025 mailed list, if I do one). This is a very typical rectangular slice (all cut edges) with a nice medium octahedrite etch and only a few tiny troilite inclusions. I’ll make up some kind of label for this and (if the buyer wants) put it in a Riker.
211.1 gram rectangular slice – 95mm x 80mm x 3.5mm - $3000
DALGETY DOWNS, Australia: Ordinary chondrite (L4). Found 1941. Tkw = 217kg.
I offered some of this material on a recent mailed catalog (my January 2024 one, actually). I ended up selling quite a lot of it from that offering. All of those were substantially smaller than this piece. This is a piece that came (years ago) from David New (I think I even bought a number of pieces of this meteorite from him when he first brought it out all those years ago). Like my smaller pieces, this has a good amount of metal (not a ton – remember, this is an L-type) in a matrix that is mixed chocolate brown and light tan. This piece is a thick part slice. It has one cut edge with the remainder being the typical old natural fractured surfaces this meteorite typically shows (I don’t ever recall seeing ANY actual fusion crust, weathered or not, on a piece of this meteorite). This specimen comes in a Riker with its original David New label.
106.8 gram part slice – 70mm x 50mm x 10mm - $425
FORREST LAKE (b), Australia: Ordinary chondrite (L6). Found Oct. 1980, Tkw = 26kg.
I sure remember this meteorite! I think it was the second stone meteorite I ever got a piece of. I got a nice slice of it from Robert Haag, actually. At that point, he had it listed as Forrest(b). Now (with the finding of many more meteorites in the “Forrest” area) this is officially Forrest (002). I suspect that this particular specimen got into collector’s hands very early after this meteorite was found and recognized. At least before the area was “simplified” to just Forrest (otherwise there might have been lots of odd names. Forrest Lake, Forrest ditch, Forrest rock…..). Regardless, this is actually one of the better pieces of this meteorite I have seen. Just looking at it in the Riker, I thought it was a thick slice. Nope, this is actually a nice end piece. Most of the back side does look to be an old natural fracture surface but the edges do show fusion crust (and thumb-printing) in some areas. The interior is the typical fine-grained metal in a nice mottled light tan to brown matrix. This comes with its original David New label.
132.8 gram end piece – 80mm x 60mm x 10mm - $600
GRETNA, Kansas: Ordinary chondrite (L5). Found 1912. Tkw = 58.7kg.
Interestingly, this one comes with an old Cureton Minerals Co, Tucson label. I remember them from very early in my collecting days. I even remember visiting them at their house in Tucson and buying a few things from them one time. I know I had some pieces of this meteorite (both as collection pieces and for sale) and those came from them. This is a nice ½ slice. It has one cut edge. The remainder is split between fusion crusted and old natural fractured edges. This has a good amount of metal visible in a nice mottled brown and tan matrix. This comes in a Riker and (of course) comes with its Cureton label.
95.5 gram ½ slice – 70mm x 55mm x 8mm - $450
SALAICES, Mexico: Ordinary chondrite (H4). Found 1981. Tkw = 24.5kg.
This is actually a really nice specimen. It has a ton of fresh metal in a mottled dark green and brown matrix. This has a high polish on both sides. This would, actually, make really nice lapidary material (cabochons and such). NOT going to do that to this piece though. This is a complete slice – no cut edges. A bit less than half of the edge is obviously weathered fusion crust. The remainder is old natural fracture surfaces. I may be showing a bit of ignorance here, but this has a clear “S167” painted on the edge in Huss or Nininger style but I do not know who’s collection (private or University) this may have come out of. This comes in a Riker with its David New label.
98.2 gram complete slice – 80mm x 65mm x 5mm - $450
SELDEN, Kansas: Ordinary chondrite (LL5). Found 1960.Tkw = 1.56kg.
Here is a meteorite that I am fairly certain that I have never had a piece of. This is not terribly surprising as only a single stone was found. Also, looking over the listing of what institutions have how much of this in the British Museum’s “Catalogue of Meteorites”, it shows that Fort Hayes Kansas State College has the main mass where they list the “main mass” and list that as the total 1.56kg found weight as their collection piece size. Well, that cannot be completely correct as other institutions (but only around 6) have (generally fairly small) pieces. This is an interesting piece. It has the odd look of many classic LL meteorites – very little metal and a mottled light to medium brown matrix that just looks different from H’s and L’s. This piece is basically an end piece (and probably quite rare as such) that has had its bottom and one small end cut off. Maybe call it a bookend? It does stand up very nicely on its own outside of its Riker. The best part though, is the fact that the “natural” part of its backside is (mostly) obvious thumb-printed fusion crust. A likely rare (locality/ name anyway) meteorite that I have not seen a piece of before. This comes with its original David New label (where it has this as an “AMPHOTERITE” – what they used to call LL type meteorites years ago).
48.6 gram part end piece – 53mm x 35mm x 15mm - $500
Shipping:
Pretty much any of these should be able to be safely shipped in a small Priority flat-rate box (if you are only buying one of them anyway). As such, US shipping on any of these is $10. I probably need to check overseas rates again (they seem to change almost weekly these days) but I think it cost me around $45 to send a small flat-rate box to Europe a couple months ago and around $32 on one going to Canada more recently.
I can (and generally will) look into rates for “Ground Advantage” here in the US. However, I have found recently that there are substantial penalties for not using a “standard box size/ shape” (basically any box that is not post office supplied) that often make the costs of shipping “Ground” as much or even more than using whatever size Priority flat-rate box would hold the item(s). I’ll let you know if Ground will save you money. As for overseas/ out of US shipments, I can only use priority, unfortunately. This is because First-Class is not allowed for a package that has a value at or above $400 (a value that all of the pieces here exceed, at their listed prices anyway).
This piece does belong to me. It did not come with any kind of label. I couldn’t do anything with it in Tucson as I was not exactly certain just what it was (I had my suspicions though). Yes, I had the XRF and I could have run it to get its makeup (Ni, Co, Ge, P, S…). However, the actual data I needed (analysis results on different iron meteorites) were all in a book sitting on a shelf in my office. Thankfully, my suspicions (from remembering very similar pieces floating around years ago) turned out to be correct (or this would have ended up being very expensive Toluca or El Sampal for me). The XRF data clearly says this IS a piece of the famous Cape York meteorite. There was indeed a fair amount of this available years ago. Not so much these days. I don’t think I have had a piece of it in around 10 years or so. I do have people asking for pieces of this from time to time. So, (this is NOT intended to be any kind of threat) if this does not sell as is fairly soon, I will cut this into smaller pieces to offer on a future list (maybe even my Spring 2025 mailed list, if I do one). This is a very typical rectangular slice (all cut edges) with a nice medium octahedrite etch and only a few tiny troilite inclusions. I’ll make up some kind of label for this and (if the buyer wants) put it in a Riker.
211.1 gram rectangular slice – 95mm x 80mm x 3.5mm - $3000
DALGETY DOWNS, Australia: Ordinary chondrite (L4). Found 1941. Tkw = 217kg.
I offered some of this material on a recent mailed catalog (my January 2024 one, actually). I ended up selling quite a lot of it from that offering. All of those were substantially smaller than this piece. This is a piece that came (years ago) from David New (I think I even bought a number of pieces of this meteorite from him when he first brought it out all those years ago). Like my smaller pieces, this has a good amount of metal (not a ton – remember, this is an L-type) in a matrix that is mixed chocolate brown and light tan. This piece is a thick part slice. It has one cut edge with the remainder being the typical old natural fractured surfaces this meteorite typically shows (I don’t ever recall seeing ANY actual fusion crust, weathered or not, on a piece of this meteorite). This specimen comes in a Riker with its original David New label.
106.8 gram part slice – 70mm x 50mm x 10mm - $425
FORREST LAKE (b), Australia: Ordinary chondrite (L6). Found Oct. 1980, Tkw = 26kg.
I sure remember this meteorite! I think it was the second stone meteorite I ever got a piece of. I got a nice slice of it from Robert Haag, actually. At that point, he had it listed as Forrest(b). Now (with the finding of many more meteorites in the “Forrest” area) this is officially Forrest (002). I suspect that this particular specimen got into collector’s hands very early after this meteorite was found and recognized. At least before the area was “simplified” to just Forrest (otherwise there might have been lots of odd names. Forrest Lake, Forrest ditch, Forrest rock…..). Regardless, this is actually one of the better pieces of this meteorite I have seen. Just looking at it in the Riker, I thought it was a thick slice. Nope, this is actually a nice end piece. Most of the back side does look to be an old natural fracture surface but the edges do show fusion crust (and thumb-printing) in some areas. The interior is the typical fine-grained metal in a nice mottled light tan to brown matrix. This comes with its original David New label.
132.8 gram end piece – 80mm x 60mm x 10mm - $600
GRETNA, Kansas: Ordinary chondrite (L5). Found 1912. Tkw = 58.7kg.
Interestingly, this one comes with an old Cureton Minerals Co, Tucson label. I remember them from very early in my collecting days. I even remember visiting them at their house in Tucson and buying a few things from them one time. I know I had some pieces of this meteorite (both as collection pieces and for sale) and those came from them. This is a nice ½ slice. It has one cut edge. The remainder is split between fusion crusted and old natural fractured edges. This has a good amount of metal visible in a nice mottled brown and tan matrix. This comes in a Riker and (of course) comes with its Cureton label.
95.5 gram ½ slice – 70mm x 55mm x 8mm - $450
SALAICES, Mexico: Ordinary chondrite (H4). Found 1981. Tkw = 24.5kg.
This is actually a really nice specimen. It has a ton of fresh metal in a mottled dark green and brown matrix. This has a high polish on both sides. This would, actually, make really nice lapidary material (cabochons and such). NOT going to do that to this piece though. This is a complete slice – no cut edges. A bit less than half of the edge is obviously weathered fusion crust. The remainder is old natural fracture surfaces. I may be showing a bit of ignorance here, but this has a clear “S167” painted on the edge in Huss or Nininger style but I do not know who’s collection (private or University) this may have come out of. This comes in a Riker with its David New label.
98.2 gram complete slice – 80mm x 65mm x 5mm - $450
SELDEN, Kansas: Ordinary chondrite (LL5). Found 1960.Tkw = 1.56kg.
Here is a meteorite that I am fairly certain that I have never had a piece of. This is not terribly surprising as only a single stone was found. Also, looking over the listing of what institutions have how much of this in the British Museum’s “Catalogue of Meteorites”, it shows that Fort Hayes Kansas State College has the main mass where they list the “main mass” and list that as the total 1.56kg found weight as their collection piece size. Well, that cannot be completely correct as other institutions (but only around 6) have (generally fairly small) pieces. This is an interesting piece. It has the odd look of many classic LL meteorites – very little metal and a mottled light to medium brown matrix that just looks different from H’s and L’s. This piece is basically an end piece (and probably quite rare as such) that has had its bottom and one small end cut off. Maybe call it a bookend? It does stand up very nicely on its own outside of its Riker. The best part though, is the fact that the “natural” part of its backside is (mostly) obvious thumb-printed fusion crust. A likely rare (locality/ name anyway) meteorite that I have not seen a piece of before. This comes with its original David New label (where it has this as an “AMPHOTERITE” – what they used to call LL type meteorites years ago).
48.6 gram part end piece – 53mm x 35mm x 15mm - $500
Shipping:
Pretty much any of these should be able to be safely shipped in a small Priority flat-rate box (if you are only buying one of them anyway). As such, US shipping on any of these is $10. I probably need to check overseas rates again (they seem to change almost weekly these days) but I think it cost me around $45 to send a small flat-rate box to Europe a couple months ago and around $32 on one going to Canada more recently.
I can (and generally will) look into rates for “Ground Advantage” here in the US. However, I have found recently that there are substantial penalties for not using a “standard box size/ shape” (basically any box that is not post office supplied) that often make the costs of shipping “Ground” as much or even more than using whatever size Priority flat-rate box would hold the item(s). I’ll let you know if Ground will save you money. As for overseas/ out of US shipments, I can only use priority, unfortunately. This is because First-Class is not allowed for a package that has a value at or above $400 (a value that all of the pieces here exceed, at their listed prices anyway).
