Blaine Reed Meteorites - List #122 6JUN2012

[brmeteorites_list] List 122 - more misc

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………………LIST 122

June 5, 2012

Dear Collectors,

Here is yet another assortment of things I had in boxes (both from Tucson and otherwise). Many are collection labeled, but some are not (I'll note this in the description).

I may be a but hard to reach late this afternoon. We have another interesting astronomical event happening today – Venus crossing the sun after about 5pm here today. I'll have my telescope set up (I have a serious sun filter – which I used just a couple weeks ago with a good pair of binoculars to see the annular eclipse) to see this. I got to see this same event back in May of 2004, I believe. However, today will be the last time this occurs for over 100 years. Thankfully, it looks like (as usual) we will be cloud free (but really hot) today.

CLEO SPRINGS, Oklahoma: (H4). Found 1960, Tkw = 24 kilograms.
This is a thick ½ slice (one cut edge, remainder is natural). This was a really weathered old meteorite and pieces broken off the exterior did not show any remaining metal to speak of. This slice did not show a lot when I got it but I did a little re-polishing work on it and was quite pleased with the results. There is indeed a zone of metal free weathering rind (about 20mm thick) along the top edge of this piece but the remainder actually looks quite nice. It shows a LOT of really fine-grained metal in a medium brown/gray matrix. If this does not sell as it is, I will get this cut into some thinner pieces and offer those later.
755.5 gram ½ slice – 135mm x 130mm x 12mm - $1350

HUCKITTA, Australia: (Pallasite). Found 1924. Tkw = 1500+kilograms.
These are some nice complete slices of the usual oxidized material. These are all Lang Collection pieces but I only got labels to go with the three largest pieces. I had some similar slices a couple years ago and they sold quite rapidly so I was happy to see these come along. The large slice is a particularly nice display specimen (largest surface area I have seen for this material) and I have been debating whether or not to keep it as part of my collection (but then, more geo-exchange install bills come along…..)
a) 37.5 gram complete slice – 70mm x 45mm x 3mm - $94
b) 69.2 gram complete slice – 75mm x 60mm x 4mm - $173
c) 100.5 gram complete slice – 115mm x 68mm x 4mm - $250
d) 128.2 gram complete slice – 165mm x 95mm x 3mm - $320

MOUNT TAZERZAIT, Niger: (L5). Fell August 21, 1991. Tkw = 110 kilograms.
I have had this piece for quite some time so I know I have offered it before, but I think it has been quite some time. I am quite surprised that I still have this. It is an affordable witnessed fall that is not all that readily available. This is a "complete" slice (no cut edges) that has only a little patch of crust along on edge. This is a light gray with hints of light brown and has an interesting porous matrix (obviously this has a low shock level). I have not seen another piece of this available for quite awhile.
40.0 gram slice – 63mm x 40mm x 6mm - $200

NWA 065: (H5). Found August 6, 2000. Tkw = 5094grams.
I have only three pieces of this. I had offered it a couple years (or more) ago and then promptly forgot about it after I set it aside with some other NWA material. This is an early NWA piece and is quite interesting in that it has a porous texture (like the above Mt. Tazerzait) and an interesting mixed reddish brown and gray matrix. The 23.6 gram piece has a Cottingham label to go with it.
a) 18.4 gram slice – 47mm x 33mm x 5mm - $45
b) 23.6 gram slice – 50mm x 35mm x 5mm - $55 – has label.
c) 25.4 gram slice – 50mm x 37mm x 6mm - $60

NWA (6355): (Lunar). Found 2009. Tkw = 760 grams.
This is the stuff that closely matches the composition of soils at the Apollo 16 landing site. There has been speculation (but no way to completely prove at this point, unfortunately) that this meteorite might have indeed originated from an impact in that area of the moon. This is a nice thumb-nail sized slice that shows some lighter colored angular clasts in a dark matrix. This is in a ready to show/ pass around display. It has an explanatory label that has both pictures of this actual specimen, the complete NWA (6355) meteorite before cutting and the Apollo 16 landing site – all in a membrane box. This is my last piece of this material set up this way.
.81 gram slice – 14mm x 11mm x 2mm - $690


SARATOV, Russia: (L4). Fell September 6, 1918. Tkw = 328 kilograms.
This is quite friable stuff. It likes to crumble a bit into fragments and chondrules if handled harshly. Because of this, most pieces of this material available have been fragments, blocks and thick slices. This is the case here. I may try having a block (or the large somewhat wedged slice) listed here cut with a gentle wire saw if I have them remaining later. Resulting pieces would be at a substantially higher price per gram though as wire cutting is an expensive process but the only that has much chance of making some slices of this without turning it all into a pile of gravel and mud. I do have one Lang Collection label that was for a 291g piece that I do not have – I'll send it with the 508g "slice" (numbers already changed on the weight space for this).
a) 4.4 grams fragment – 15mm x 14mm x 10mm - $26
b) 62.9 gram cut fragment – 38mm x 20mm x 26mm - $280
c) 114.6 gram block – 45mm x 35mm x 25mm - $500
d) 508.6 gram wedged slice – 110mm x 75mm x 20mm - $2000 – this has some nice crust along its thick edge.

TRAVIS COUNTY (a), Texas: (H5). Found 1889. Tkw = 175.4 kilograms.
41 of the 52 pieces of meteorite recovered in the area were found to represent one fall. These were found to be a shock blackened (H5) chondrite and was assigned the name Travis County (a). The pieces I have here are all small slices from the TCU Monig Collection and each has a Monig label to go with them.
a) 6.6 gram slice – 30mm x 20mm x 3mm - $12
b) 8.7 gram slice – 33mm x 21mm x 4mm - $15
c) 11.8 gram slice – 35mm x 31mm x 4mm - $20

TULIA (d), Texas: (H6). Found 1981. Tkw = 17.7 kilograms.
I received a small batch of small slices and end pieces of this meteorite recently (well, after Tucson anyway – I probably would have sold them out there if I had them then). These pieces each have a TCU, Monig Collection label with them.
a) 4.8 gram end piece – 30mm x 18mm x 5mm - $17
b) 6.2 gram slice – 27mm x 18mm x 3mm - $22
c) 9.0 gram slice – 28mm x 25mm x 4mm - $32
d) 14.5 gram slice – 46mm x 25mm x 6mm - $51