P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
LIST 231
October 8, 2019
Dear collectors,
Here is a list of some of the better/ higher-end things that I was consigned to sell during the Denver show. I highly suspect that I would not have had this many pieces remaining from this list if I had them at the start of the show. Unfortunately, due to various difficulties, these did not get to me until Wednesday afternoon. This gave me only 3 days to find buyers for these items (and I did indeed move a few things) during the time the major buyers had already left town. Anyway, I do have a group photo of these things for anyone interested. I’ll post it in the group archives but can send it directly to anyone by e-mail that wants it. As these are mostly expensive pieces I can get individual closer photos of any of these for those seriously interested. I limit it to “seriously interested” as poor Blake (the guy that takes and processes the pictures) is buried ever deeper in his ham radio antenna making stuff (he is putting more together in a month then he used to do in 4 to 6 months). Because of this, it might take a little time (but no to much) to pull together requested closer pictures but I’ll try to get them as fast as circumstances allow.
CANYON DIABLO, Arizona. Iron. Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1891.
This is a nice complete slice. It shows a good etch and has an interesting assortment of inclusions. There are many small elongate inclusions that I haven’t made out quite what they are (look like they could contain some chromite) that often run parallel to the kamacite plates but some others of these inclusions surround other (likely Cohenite and schreibersite ) inclusions. This slice also has a large (35mm x 30mm) troilite and graphite inclusion. Nice specimen! I had a few small part slices earlier this year (and those sold out rapidly), but rarely see cut pieces of Diablo, particularly larger ones like this. Part of this is that people that have larger pieces that could produce a slice like this generally prefer to keep it as a whole specimen (large Canyon Diablos usually have nice sculpting). Also, it can be hard to find someone willing to cut this stuff. It is rare but, on occasion, someone cutting one of these will hit a diamond inside and destroy a bunch of expensive saw blades and equipment by doing so. This slice is polished and etched on both sides.
1061.6 gram complete slice – 200mm x 150mm x 6mm - $1000
FUKANG, China: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 2000. Tkw = 1003kg.
This is a rectangular part slice that I KNOW would have sold if I had it earlier at the show. One of my Chinese friends is always on the look out for pieces of this stuff that are priced fairly (and given the thinness and quality of the crystals in this specimen it certainly is priced fairly). Unfortunately, he had left the show the day before (I think Mike Farmer dropped him and Jim off at the airport and then headed back towards his home in Tucson as well at the same time). Anyway, this piece has fantastic large, gemmy olivines that completely pass light (this is only a bit over a millimeter thick). It is big enough (surface area-wise) to show the texture of this fantastic meteorite but thin enough to not make you have to pay for a bunch of extra weight to get it.
19.7 gram part slice – 85mm x 37mm x 1.5mm - $600
HUCKITTA, Australia: Stony-iron (pallasite). Found 1937.
I kind of personally asked to have this one brought to me. I had planned to pair it with a (very rare) fresh-metal piece of Huckitta I brought to the show. Well, I ended up selling that on its own before I got this piece. No matter, this is a really nice piece of this now hard to come by meteorite. This is a complete slice of a (rare) larger piece of the typical oxidized material. This is the stuff where the metal has turned to a mix of magnetite and hematite (miraculously without expanding upon taking up the oxygen required to do this and not blowing the piece completely apart in the process). So, this has dark angular olivine crystals set in a blue/gray oxidized metallic matrix. I kind of have soft spot for this material. It was some of the very first meteorite material I ever bough (got it from Robert Haag while I was visiting my uncle during college spring break – probably in 1986) for putting together a catalog and going into business selling these things myself.
123.9 gram complete slice – 130mm x 60mm x 5mm - $300
NWA (unstudied). Stone meteorite. Likely an H-chondrite (according to my Mag-Sus meter).
This is a large mostly complete individual (it does have an edge chipped off on one end) that is oriented. To me, this orientation is very obvious. But then, I know these things. This is fully crusted (aside from the above mentioned end/ edge chipping) but the crust, though quite fresh, has suffered some wind-polishing. This wind-polishing has subdued some of the obvious orientation features (flow lines on the front and roll-over rim around the back). Regardless, this still has the overall oriented shape: rounded, lightly thumb-printed front, rougher textured backside (which I can get and send a photo of if any of you out there are interested in the stone) that has a light roll-over rim around most of the edge. This is a nice specimen and being offered at a price that isn’t really all that much above what the Moroccans seem to be asking for similar quality (completeness, freshness, not oriented) meteorites these days.
4953 gram oriented individual – 180mm x 155mm x 70mkm - $6000
PUTINGA, Brazil: Ordinary chondrite (L6). Fell August 16, 1937. Tkw = 200kg.
I can’t recall if I’ve ever had a piece of this one. If I did, it would have been small (maybe as part of my long ago micro-collection) and a very long time ago. Anyway, this is a nice large compete slice that has fusion crust pretty much along the entire edge (there might a small chip or two, but nit much. This has a nice typical L6 appearance. It has plenty of metal in a mottled brown and light tan (nearly white) matrix.
146.3 gram complete slice – 110mm x 100mm x 4mm - $1600
ODESSA, Texas: Iron. Coarse octahedrite. Found 1923.
This is another piece that there is a good chance I could have sold if I had it earlier in the show. No matter, as now someone out there has a chance to pick up a nice big display piece for cheaper (per gram) than I can sell any other Odessa specimens for at the moment (but then, this is a big piece). This is a 6.1 kilogram complete end-piece (no other cuts except the face). The cut face is beautifully etched (nice strong etch pattern) and shows numerous troilite/ graphite inclusions. The back- side appears to be pretty much natural (though I can’t rule out a long ago light brushing). It has a sculpted/ large-scale thumb-printed kind of shape but it is large scale and subtle (I’ll get a photo taken of the back if anyone is seriously interested in this wonderful specimen).
6.1 kilogram end piece – 260mm x 150mm x 40mm - $6000
RANCHO GOMELIA, Mexico: Iron. Medium octahedrite (IIIAB). Found 1975. Tkw = 11.7kg.
This is a really nice complete slice that has an interesting long shape. This shows a beautiful etch that frankly looks closer to a fine octahedrite than a medium to me (but then, I really haven’t seen that many medium octahedrites lately). It also has a couple long Shreibersite or Cohenite inclusions. This piece also seems to have some history to it as well. It has “1044.7(b) painted on the crusted (well, weathered crust) edge in two places. Apparently, this came from Arizona State University. It seems to have been cut from the 11.4kg main mass that was listed in an older version of their collection catalog. That particular specimen has the number 1044. Not sure if this is the only slice they took off (I am selling this WAAAAY to cheap if it is) or merely the first slice they took off and traded out (I am assuming that the main mass would get the “a”, the first slice a “b” the next slice would be labeled “c” and so on). Nice piece that is etched on both sides.
157.3 gram complete slice – 125mm x 35mm x 5mm - $900
