Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………LIST
154
Dear collectors,
I wasn’t going to send out an offer this week as I had hoped
to visit the Colorado Springs show
this weekend (leaving only a couple days to take and pack orders). I didn’t
sign up for the show as a seller (stupidly). I thought I had a couple schedule
conflicts that quickly evaporated once I made the commitment that I was not
going as a seller. However, a recent development has me trapped at home and in
need of raising some money. It seems that my car now suddenly needs a new
engine. I am not certain what happened but it happened quickly. I have had some
issues over the years with this thing randomly using oil at times (usually
weeks to months with no loss and then suddenly a quart disappearing over a
weekend, or so it seemed). I did a fancy oil change on the thing last week,
using high end long life synthetic oil and a high end long life specially made
for synthetic oil filter to go with it. I then drove the thing to Ouray (a town
about an hour’s drive south of us) and more the past week. Saturday I noticed
some subtle but strange and scary noises coming out of the engine on one of my
stops (glad I left the engine running for my quick out of the car there
otherwise I might not have had ANY clue to a problem developing). I got home
and put the thing in the garage. Sunday, having already forgotten about this
noise, I pulled the car out to go to a hanger party some friends were having.
Getting out of the car to pull the garage door shut I once again heard the
noise. However it was much louder and scarier this time. Back in the garage it
went (we took Blake’s car). On Monday I did a little more “research” (putting
the thing on ramps listening with a make shift stethoscope) into the issue. It
was very obvious very quickly – the engine is coming apart (crank and rod
bearings are pretty much gone). In fact it is now to the point that I don’t
even dare drive it to the shop that I plan to have put a new (well, a good used
anyway) engine in the thing around 6 miles away. I am still at a loss as to
what could have created this problem but I suspect that it may be a faulty oil
filter or just plain old-fashioned coincidence. When I checked the oil Monday,
that now supposedly had some 150 miles or so on it, it still looked like it was
new and had just come from the container. I know it is synthetic but it should
have had some coloration if even just from mixing with the little residual old
oil that is always still left in an engine when doing an oil change. I then
swapped out the oil filter (already thinking that this MIGHT be the issue).
Running the car the few minutes after this to diagnose the issue did indeed
seem to bring a little coloration to the oil. The new filter, unfortunately,
did nothing to quiet the noise, the damage has already been done. So now I have
only the big ugly (and fuel hungry) Suburban to drive until I get this fixed (I
can borrow Linda’s car from time to time but not for any serious trips and only
at times that she does not need it). I did manage to luck out and find a local
shop that has a guaranteed good used engine (with warranty) that has somewhat
less miles than my now roasted engine. Unfortunately, my car (a 2001 Subaru
Forester) has a bit of a rare engine (used in only 1 year I think) so this is
not going to be all that cheap. Linda’s more common 1993 Subaru could have an
engine and have it installed for a total of only $1300. The engine on mine
alone will run that much. With installation (and, if you are smart, a new
timing belt, water pump and oil pump) I’ll be looking at around $2500 or so. A
fair amount of money (particularly annoying as taxes are due in a week or so
again), but certainly a better option than buying a different used car and
finding it has ONLY the engine in good shape (the rest of my car is quite solid
and sound mechanically).
So, here is a rather slapped together offering of some odd
(and mostly expensive, unfortunately) items that I had set aside for collection
or display that are now up for grabs. ALSO, please look over the last few lists
I have sent out (those since the beginning of March – Lists 149, 150, 151, 152
and 153. I have many (most?) of the items (or suitable replacements except for
perhaps Fukang, and NWA (8302) at this point) listed on those offerings still
available. I’ll be happy to try and make you a special private “car repair
funds and quarterly taxes” price on anything I still have that you are
interested in off of those offerings (at least on all of the items that are
mine. There are a few consignments floating around on these offerings).
Note: Some of you will likely notice that I am no
longer putting the “name” numbers in parenthesis. This may make it a little
harder to read these offerings. However, I have been informed that having the
parenthesis in my posts makes them very hard for people to find these specimens
if they do an online search for these particular meteorites.
DAR AL GANI 476,
Libya: Martian. Shergottite. Olivine phyric. Found 1998. Tkw = 2.20kg.
Here is a complete slice that I have been using as my Mars
rock to let people handle. It is a complete slice but it is fairly thick (and
thus safe to handle). This has the classic DaG look to it. It has dark (brown
surrounded by black) inclusions (olivine) in a really obviously green matrix.
Note: I will sell either this OR the NWA (6963) listed below but not both as I
need SOMETHING to show people what a Mars rock looks like that is bigger than a
thumb-nail sized slice.
10.4 gram complete slice – 40mm x 30mm x 4mm - $3500
10.4 gram complete slice – 40mm x 30mm x 4mm - $3500
MURCHISON,
Australia: Carbonaceous chondrite (CM2). Fell September 28, 1969.
Here is a fragment I had set aside for a customer way back
when I offered this on a mailed list around a year and a half ago. It has sat
on a high shelf, forgotten (apparently by the potential customer as well) since
then. I don’t remember who asked me to “set this aside” for them so now it is
back up for grabs. This is a nice natural fragment that has a nice patch of
fusion crust covering around 30% of the piece.
.56
gram fragment with crust – 10mm x 9mm x 8mm - $80
NWA 032:
Lunar Mare Basalt. Found October 1999. Tkw = 300 grams.
I really hesitate to sell this one. It was (and is supposed
to be) in a collection of Moon rocks I have on display at a shop in Montrose
(in hopes that those people in that town that want to see what a REAL moon rock
looks like will get a chance to do so). I had a customer that wanted a
“classic” Mare Basalt so I brought this one home to offer to him. He wants
something larger and thicker. I have a number of other Lunar meteorites
classified as basalts, but this is the one that truly looks like a basalt you’d
find here on Earth. Anyway, I have not gotten the chance to get this back over
to the display in Montrose so I will offer it here but, admittedly, not cheap.
I have no idea what this stuff is going for on the market these days. I am not
certain there really is any available. I got this as one of my very first
(after DaG 262 anyway) Lunar meteorites (certainly my first Lunar basalt) from
Alan Lang many years ago.
.206
gram slice – 13mm x 10mm x .5mm - $600
NWA 6963, Morocco:
Martian. Shergottite. Found 2011. Tkw = 8 kilograms.
This one actually has a known find location and coordinates.
According to the Meteoritical Bulletin, this found in south Morocco near the
river Oued Touflit. I got this nice piece from Steve Arnold in Tucson this past
show. I liked it because it is an end piece and has nice crust (even showing
some hints of flow lines) covering the back- side. The internal texture of this
looks very much like Shegotty or the coarse grained areas of Zagami. This
specimen has a few small dark shock melt pockets in it as well. This has a cut
edge to it so it is not a “complete” end piece but this cut edge is such that
the specimen is aesthetic none the less. A note on this one: As with the Dag
(476) above, I will sell one of these but need to hang on to the other for
display purposes (these two are my only “substantial” Martin pieces at the
moment). So, the one that sells first is the one that I sell, the other I’ll
hang on to (unless another sudden automotive or other disaster hits that is).
5.45
gram cut end piece – 30mmx 25mm x 3mm - $1700 – nice crust covering back.
NWA 8010:
Lunar. Feldspathic breccia. Found 2013. Tkw = 58 grams.
Matt asked me if I wanted to “share” a new lunar meteorite a
source of his had turned up. I was hesitant as it was a lot of money. Once he
cut it open though, I was sure glad I agreed to take part in this one. This is
completely different than any of the other Lunar meteorites that I am aware of.
This has large rounded clasts with a brown/ pinkish tinge that are filled with
smaller angular to rounded light gray to white clasts. This part is neat and
different. However, the really neat thing is that these larger clasts are
surrounded by thick black bubbly melt veins! This thing is full of vesicles.
UNM has a grad student doing work on this thing (to see what gasses and its
origin that formed the bubbles among other things). I had planned to wait until
this work was done before offering this thing but circumstances change. This is
an end piece and is certainly tough enough to pass around and let people handle
it (this is what I was doing with it). About the only thing I can fault this
thing for public display/ handling purposes are that is to weird, having the
big, bubbly melt veins. I have had enough local trouble with a local loon that
thinks he has been finding meteorites that contain gas bubbles. I really don’t
want to publicly display this one that IS real and DOES contain bubbles to the
locals (and why this piece did not end up as part of the lunar display I have
in Montrose right now).
18.32
gram end piece – 50mm x 25mm x 8mm - $12k
