Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 157 - More Small Meteorite Rarities
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
brmeteorites@yahoo.com
…………………………………………………LIST 157
July 22, 2014
Dear collectors,
Here is yet another offering of generally small but often quite rare items. This will probably be my last list until late August as I am out of “new” material for the moment and I will be traveling a bit in early August.
Part of that travel will be the Creede Show August 1st, 2nd and 3rd. This is quite a nice small show (actually, it is getting fairly large) and has a great selection of all kinds of things including fossils, minerals, rocks, lapidary supplies, and of coarse meteorites. This is certainly not a show that is all jewelry as most public “retail” shows have devolved to these days. I know a few collectors have threatened to visit this year (it’s a great place to escape the heat). If others of you think you might come, let me know what things you’d like me to bring.
ALLENDE, Mexico: Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3.2). Fell February 8, 1969.
This is a bag containing several small cut fragments. Nothing special but certainly good for micros or resale. These range in size from about 5mm x 5mm to around 5mm x 12mm.
5 fragments totaling 1.8+ grams - $12
FORKSVILLE, Virginia: (L6). Fell July 16, 1924. Tkw = 6067 grams.
It was reported that 4 stones from this fall were recovered. According to the Catalog of Meteorites, pretty much all of this one is in museum collections (though it is certainly possible that some has been traded out since the Catalog’s publication in 2000. All 3 pieces here are fragments.
a) .015 gram fragment – 3mm x 2mm x 2mm - $15 -- SOLD
b) .025 gram fragment – 3mm x 2.5mm x 2mm - $25 -- SOLD
c) .137 gram fragment – 7mm x 3mm x 3mm - $60 -- SOLD
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: (L6). Fell November 1959. Tkw = around 236 grams.
There is no fall info for this one, just a report of its olivine mineralogy. Regardless, this is probably the rarest (from a total known weight) fall I have had in recent history. As there was no report about this fall, I can only go by the pieces listed in museum collections in the Catalog of Maeteroties. That list shows only 4 museums with pieces totaling 236.2 grams! These pieces are fragments in a capsule.
a) .020 gram fragment – 2mm x 1.5mm x 1mm - $25
b) .146 gram fragment – 7mm x 5mm x 2mm - $100
MERUA, India: (H5). Fell August 30, 1920. Tkw = 71.4 kg.
It is reported that 6 stones fell, with the largest being 56.7kg. I thought that this might be well distributed, given the large total weight listed. However, it seems that right around 71kg is listed as being in museum collections so very little had gotten out at the time the Catalog o Meteorites was published.
a) fragment (around 3mm x 2mm x 2mm) in capsule - $10
b) .245 gram fragment – 6mm x 6mm x 4mm - $50 -- SOLD
MIGHEI, Ukraine: Carbonaceous chondrite (CM2). Fell June 18, 1889. Tkw = 8+ kg.
This is the meteorite that gives the CM’s the M after carbonaceous. I have had super fine powder of this fall in the past but I can’t recall having actual (all though small) fragments (at least at no time recently). I tried to do some research on the value of this stuff but came up with nothing. Sooo, I am just going to guess (but high maybe?) on this one. The largest piece comes in a small research vial that is then inside a bottle labeled “Mighei Meteorite ~ .45g USSR”.
a) .013 grams – 10 small fragments in a capsule - $20
b) .026 grams – 2 fragments in a capsule - $40
c) .043 gram cut fragment – 4mm x 3mm x 3mm - $75
d) .08 gram cut fragment – 5mm x 4mm x 4mm - $140
e) .117 gram fragment – 6mm x 5mm x 4mm - $175 -- SOLD
OCHANSK, Russia: (H4), brecciated. Fell August 30, 1887. Tkw = 500+kg.
This is a lot of fragments in a capsule. The largest piece is around 5mm x 5mm x 4mm in size. Total weight is around .2g or so.
.20g fragments in a capsule - $15
RANGALA, India: (L6), veined. Fell December 29, 1937. Tkw = 3224.5 grams.
22 fragments are reported to have fallen. This is yet another item that, not only was very little recovered, but pretty close to all that was seems to be listed in museum collections. All I have is a few small fragments, so my offering won’t be changing much other than giving a few collectors the chance to add this “new” name to their collection.
a) small fragment (around 2mm x 1.5mm x 1.5mm) in a capsule - $10
b) larger fragment (around 3mm x 2mm x 1.5mm) in a capsule - $15 -- SOLD
c) .155 grams of fragments and crumbs in a capsule - $50 -- SOLD
SHALKA, India: Achondrite (Diogenite). Fell November 30, 1850. Tkw = 3.6+ kg.
This fall is interesting in that, supposedly, an immense stone (around 3 feet across) fell but only around 8 pounds was preserved. I had a couple pieces of this in Tucson (can’t remember what I priced them at) but they, not surprisingly, sold before I could offer them on a list. I have around 5 pieces total (all fragments) this time and I think these will be the last I will see (at least from this source). The largest piece is in a small round, labeled “box” that all these pieces came to me in.
a) .15 grams – 5mm x 5mm x 4mm - $15 -- SOLD
b) .29 grams – 7mm x 6mm x 5mm - $30 -- SOLD
c) .53 grams – 9mm x 7mm x 5mm - $50 -- SOLD
d) .65 grams – 10mm x 7mm x 6mm - $75 -- SOLD
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Tuesday 8 July 2014
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 156
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
Brmeteorites@yahoo.com
…………………………………………………LIST
156
Dear collectors,
Here are a few more interesting items (many names I have
never seen before). From the lot I received a day or so before my last offering
in June. Most of these are certainly NOT cheap on a price per gram level. These
were basically priced as a specimen, add a difficult (or nearly impossible) to
obtain new name to your collection way. It was hard to guess a “fair” price on
most o this material. I am certain that I have gotten some of these wrong on
both sides (some too expensive and some, like the St. Michel from the last list
(which sold in seconds and had more than 12 people desperately wanting the
piece) probably too cheap. Anyway, I hope there is something here for everyone.
This is one I had to look up. I don’t recall ever seeing a
piece of this one. Only one stone fell and it seems that the material has found
deep hiding places since. Both of the pieces I have here look like they have at
least some crust. Under magnification, this is quite interesting. It looks to
be a loose conglomeration of lots of tiny chindrules. Wish I had a bigger piece
to look at this way.
a) .027
gram fragment – 3mm x 3mm x 2mm - $20-SOLD
b) .265
gram cut fragment – 7mm x 5mm x 4mm - $100-SOLD
GERGENTI, Italy :
(L6), veined. Fell February 10, 1853 .
Tkw = 16.7+kg.
Here is one that looks well distributed, amongst the museums
anyway. However, I don’t think much of this one has gotten into collector’s
hands. I don’t recall ever seeing a piece. The museum collection lists in the
Catalog of Meteorites looks to add up quite close to the reported total known.
Anyway, yet another “may never see it again” thing. The piece I have here are
all just small fragments.
a) small
fragment (around .01g or so) – 2mm x 2mm x 2mm - $10-SOLD
b) .042
gram fragment – 5mm x 3mm x 2mm - $20-SOLD
c) .065
gram fragment – 4mm x 3mm x 3mm - $30-SOLD
There once was an man from Cass, who’s ….. Never mind. That
one would get me in to trouble with someone out there (not “family” material. I
can’t help but think of such things when I see this meteorite’s name. I don’t
think that has been all that often over the years however. Anyway, this is one
of the older falls I have had and probably in fairly high demand as such. These
are all small fragments in a capsule. As you will see, I finally gave up
weighing all the tiny fragments that came in as part of this collection. The
torsion balance I use to weight these things is slow and cumbersome (but very
accurate usually) and, for most of these things, the weight does not really
matter as they are being sold as specimens and not by weight.
a) Small
fragment (around 2mm x 1.5mm x 1mm) in capsule - $10-SOLD
b) Medium
fragment (around 3.5mm x 2mm x 1mm) in capsule - $15-SOLD
c) Large
fragment (around 4mm x 3mm x 2mm) in capsule - $25-SOLD
I think I had a small fragment or two of this some months
ago. I can’t recall if I put it on a list of if it sold immediately to
collectors back east. Anyway, here are a few small fragments and crumbs.
a) small
fragment (around 2mm x 2mm x 1mm) in capsule - $10-SOLD
b) .03
grams of crumbs in a capsule - $20-SOLD
c) .275
gram cut fragment – 8mm x 4mm x 4mm - $80-SOLD
Years ago (20 or so perhaps), I had more of and easier
access to this meteorite than Murchison. I really have had very few pieces
since. Here I have only one substantial fragment and then a capsule of small
fragments (around 1mm to around 4mm in size).
a) .15
grams of small fragments in a capsule - $30-SOLD
b) 1.39
gram fragment – 17mm x 9mm x 8mm - $280-SOLD
SENA, Spain :
(H4), brecciated. Fell November 17,
1773 . Tkw = around 4kg.
This is one of the oldest falls I have had in a long time.
In fact, looking over the falls by date in listed in Meteorites A to Z, about
the only fall I see listed from earlier that I know I have had a piece of is
Ensisheim! So, this fall is the second oldest I have ever had. To add even more
to the excitement, this is quite rare in museum collections. There are a number
of museums that have substantial pieces of this but a few have less (sometimes
far less) than a gram! In fact, the largest piece I have here is over 3 times
the size listed in the Monig Collection and around 1.4 times the size of piece
the British Museum (The Natural History Museum, London more technically) has
listed in their collection! These specimens are all fragments.
a) small
fragment (around 1.5mm x 1mm x 1mm) in capsule - $15
b) larger
fragment (around 2.5mm x 2mm x 1.5mm) in capsule - $25
c) .097
gram fragment – 5mm x 5mm x 2mm - $100
d) .347
gram fragment – 8mm x 6mm x 4mm - $340
SHELBURNE,
Canada : (H5),
veined, brecciated. Fell August 13,
1904 . Tkw = 18.6kg.
It has been awhile since I have had a Canadian meteorite and
I am sure like those in the past, these will probably end up going back to
Canada (or there possibly will be some upset Canadian collectors who missed out
by being just a little too slow to respond). Anyway, as with most of what I
have offered recently, these are small fragments.
a) .025
gram fragments (3 pieces) in capsule – $10-SOLD
b) .13
gram fragment – 5mm x 4mm x 3mm - $30-SOLD
Tuesday 24 June 2014
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 155
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………LIST
155
Dear collectors,
Here is a small offering of some interesting items I got a
few days ago. I know, this list should have gone out last week but I did not
have this new material (or much of anything new for that matter). I will also
likely be missing the next scheduled offering time (July 1st) as I
will be leaving town a day or two later. I’ll be gone for the long holiday
weekend and should be back home around July 8th.
ABEE, Canada :
Enstatite chondrite (EH4), imb. Fell June
9, 1952 . Tkw = 107kg.
Here are a few small slices (actually, the smaller pieces
are more like little bars with polished edges) or those of you that want a
piece of this rare and important meteorite in your collection with out spending
a fortune. These piece are all very fresh and show lots of metal and
brecciation (even on the small ones). The “big” one is very nice (such that I
was tempted to hang on to it for my micro collection).
a) .22
gram slice – 8mm x 3mm x 2mm - $15
b) .56
gram slice – 12mm x 4mm x 3mm - $30
c) 1.44
gram slice – 13mm x 11mm x 3mm - $75
ALLENDE, Mexico :
(CV3). Fell February 8, 1969 .
Here is a super fresh broken fragment that has some patches
of crust (around 30mm x 10mm and another around 12mm x 10mm). Not much to look
at honestly, but it might be a good piece to make some nice small slices (or
thin-sections) from. The rumor I got with this piece is that the researcher
that it had it years ago got it from Dr. King. Now way to prove that at this
point, but this piece is fresh enough to make that story more than believable.
30.9
gram fragment with some crust – 30mm x 28mm x 20mm - $250
I got excited over seeing this one in the “collection” as I
have never had a piece of Klamath Falls
before. It seems I still haven’t. There were two small cut fragments (and some
powder) in a small bottle that is labeled “Klamath
Co. Museum Klamath
Falls ”. However, close inspection revealed that this
had a some what grainy texture to it (Not something you want to see in an iron
meteorite). I checked it with a magnet and, sure enough, it did not stick, My
XRF says that this is mostly copper (around 60%) with arsenic (17%) and lead
(11%) and a bunch of other stuff. So, not a meteorite but the bottle is cool.
This was from an old research collection and I suppose it is possible that the
person who had this years ago was working on something from the area (that the Klamath
Falls Museum
“Klamath
Falls ” museum labeled bottle containing two mineral
fragments - $20
MBALE, Uganda :
Ordinary chondrite (L5/6). Fell August
14, 1992 . Tkw = 108+ kg.
This was readily available years ago but I rarely see it
these days. None the less, it is still among the cheapest of witnessed falls.
This is just a nice fragment with a polished face (curved though. I think
someone simply polished out a naturally broken edge as opposed to cutting
first). This has some crust – an area around 12mm x 11mm. This is not one of
the earliest recoveries as it shows some minor rust spotting but is still very
fresh so it is not a late recovery either. This comes with a nice specimen card
that is generic (no collection name) except a note that says something like
“from Pieter Heydelaar” I believe. This makes sense as I know Pieter (a famous
gold dealer that dabbles in meteorites a bit) had quite a bit of Mbale years
ago.
3.3 gram
fragment with polished face – 20mm x 10mm x 11mm - $15
Here is a really nice aesthetic little “micro” slice. It has
one crusted edge (one of the shorter edges, unfortunately) with lots of metal
and some shock veins in a nice mottled light brown matrix.
2.1
gram slice – 20mm x 10mm x 3mm - $15
I probably priced this on wrong. I know I have heard of it
and had pieces of it in the past but I, unfortunately, don’t have any idea what
this stuff is “going for” out there so I guessed (more than something like
Mbale but less than L’Aigle). So, either someone out there is going to get a
great deal or I’ll have this one in Denver .
This a thick part slice that is all cut sides except one broken edge (no crust,
unfortunately).
4.3
gram slice – 22mm x 10mm x 10mm - $80 -SOLD
SULTANPUR,
India : Ordinary
chondrite (L6), black. Fell July 10,
1916 . Tkw = 1711 grams.
Now this one I priced high as there seems to be very little
of it known and very little of it distributed. I think I have had crumbs of
this in the past but this is a much larger “crumb”. This is a small cut
fragment that likely broke off o a larger slice sometime in the past.
.26
gram cut fragment – 8mm x 5mm x 3mm - $100
TENNASILM,
Estonia :
Ordinary chondrite (L4), veined. Fell June
28, 1872 . Tkw = 28.5 kg.
This is a small fresh flake/ fragment. Thankfully, its
thinness actually gives it a pretty good surface area.
.30
gram fragment – 10mm x 6mm x 2mm - $25
Tuesday 3 June 2014
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 164
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
Tuesday 20 May 2014
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 153
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 153
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141Delta , CO
81416
May 20, 2014
ODESSA , Texas
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………LIST
153
BOOK: OUR STONE-PELTED PLANET by H.H.
Nininger.
I picked this up in Tucson
along with a copy of Farrington’s “Meteorites”. I have read this one a couple
times in the past so I’m putting this one up for sale (I may sell the
Farrington later once I have had a chance to got through it). It is a pretty
usual used copy. It is missing the dust jacket and is clearly an ex-library
book (Nevada State Library I think). It is in pretty good shape overall, aside
from the old now marked out library labels (mostly on the first pages). This
may be actually be rarer (but, perhaps, not quite as desirable) than other
copies in that I think this may be the first copy I have ever had that does NOT
have Nininger’s signature in it. Anyway, a good reading copy of a fairly rare
book.
Nininger’s
“Our Stone-Pelted Planet” - $150
CANYON DIABLO,
Arizona : Coarse octahedrite
(IAB).
Here is a tumble polished piece of this now very difficult
to get meteorite. I got this as part of a collection that was mostly glasses
(tektites and fulgurites) over a year ago. It looks very much like the small
tumbled Odessa piece Robert Haag sold years ago – rounded corners, lots of
bright metal but still wit black patches in the deeper recesses. I can’t help
but wonder if this was one of the ones I heard about back when we (myself and a
few friends) acquired the Guadalupe y Calve hexahedrite. While I was looking
that over a guy had asked me how Robert “made” those nice little tumbled
Odessas (which were selling about as fast as he could prepare them). I gave him
my thoughts on how it was done and asked why he wanted to know. He said he had
gotten a small “bucket full” of roughly thumb-sized Canyon Diablo pieces that
were not only natural but had a white number painted on them. He didn’t like
the appearance (or the number) and it seemed his potential customers did not
either. I explained what these likely where (Nininger specimens) and their
longer term importance to collectors but he was not interested. He also was not
interested in selling them to me at anything near what those things would have
been worth at the time (maybe $.25 to .30/g, I think I was paying around $35/
pound for Diablos those days). He wanted the much higher $1/g he thought he
would get for them cleaned as this was the price Robert was getting for his
tumbled Odessas (which, importantly, were very MUCH smaller than the Diablos).
Wish I could go back and give this idiot the $1/g now. Anyway, I just have to
wonder if this, actually kind of nice specimen was one of those.
30.9
gram tumble polished individual – 42mm x 15mm x 10mm - $40
NAKHLA, Egypt :
Mars rock (Nakhlite). Fell June 28,
1911 . Tkw = around 10 kilograms.
It has been a looooong time since I have been able to offer
a piece of this famous meteorite. Unfortunately, this is among the most
expensive (overall specimen price wise) specimen I have offered as well.
However, this is also among the most "Museum grade” specimens I have
offered as well. This is a nice, fresh fragment that has a very substantial
(around 18mm x 13mm) patch of fresh shiny black crust. This is truly a rare
opportunity for the Mars Rock collector (I have generally stopped calling these
things “SNCs” as there have been a number of new type Mars rocks that don’t fit
those classifications lately).
5.60
gram fragment with crust – 20mm x 14mm x 15mm - $15,000 – crust patch 18mm x
13mm
NWA 5546:
Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3). Found 2008. Tkw = 3.8 kilograms.
I am not sure why this one is still listed as “provisional”
in the Bulletin. The provisional report shows the history, type, researcher and
everything but yet it hasn’t become “official”. I got a couple pieces of this
from Matt late last year and finally decided to chop them in half while doing
cutting work on other things on my 10” saw. This is quite weathered, has
internal cracks and such but yet is fairly appealing on the cut surfaces. It
shows lots of generally large chondrules of various shades of gray, brown and
orange in a medium to dark chocolate matrix. These are fairly large and I may
end up breaking them down if people really want smaller specimens. I priced
these as the cheapest CV3 I have to help make up for the size.
1) Cut
fragments:
a) 84.8
grams – 70mm x 50mm x 10mm - $250
b) 113.8
grams – 80mm x 47mm x 10mm - $340
c) 152.6
grams – 85mm x 50mm x 12mm - $450
This is an interesting solid really dark brown, nearly black
individual. It has been cleaned or treated somehow but I am not certain how. It
does not appear to have ever been wire brushed (at least not in anyway more
than a really light brushing with a really soft wheel maybe). It does still
have a couple tiny areas of natural fine sand or dirt in a couple recesses. I
suspect that it was lightly cleaned to remove dirt and maybe some scale but
then spent the rest of its life well oiled. Regardless, this is a good sample
of this quite scarce (these days) meteorite.
276.8
gram individual – 65mm x 50mm x 20mm - $200
ZAG, Western
Sahara / Morocco :
(H3-6). Fell August 4 or 5, 1998. Tkw = about 175 kilograms.
Here are some really fresh fragments of this important
meteorite. This fall is one of only two chondrites (the other being Monahans ,
TX
1) Natural
fresh fragments:
a) 6.2
grams – 20mm x 17mm x 7mm - $25
b) 9.6
grams – 22mm x 20mm x 10mm - $38
c) 17.7
grams – 25mm x 20mm x 15mm - $70
d) 47.7
grams – 60mm x 30mm x 17mm - $180 – has some obvious breccia zones.
DIAMONDS:
“Carbonados” from Brazil .
I remember reading some kind of “news” snippet in a Discover
Magazine some years ago that said something to the effect that these “frothy”
diamonds from Brazil
were likely associated with a meteorite. Furthermore, they weren’t from an
impact here on Earth but (supposedly) were already contained in the meteorite
before it hit! They supposedly have weathered out and are now found scattered
about the find area. This, to be honest, sounds really far-fetched to me. But
then, this is the attitude many took early on towards the theories that SNCs
were from Mars and the HEDs were from Vesta (both now accepted as fact).
Anyway, I tried to obtain some of these after reading that and completely
failed (one friend in the diamond business said he could help but I would have
to spend a minimum of $50k). I have since kept my eyes out for samples. I
finally found some interesting nondescript shaped, somewhat porous diamonds
labeled as Brazilian “carbonados” at the Denver Spring show a couple years ago
(and misplaced them not long after). I set one aside after rediscovering these
and the rest are listed here.
1) Natural
“crystals” as found:
a) 1.1
carat – 7mm x 5mm x 4mm - $100 – light yellow color.
b) 1.6
carat – 9mm x 5mm x 5mm - $150 – light gray color.
c) 2.0
carat – 8mm x 8mm x 5mm - $180 – mixed clear and light tan color.
Tuesday 29 April 2014
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 152
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
………………………………………………………..LIST
152
Dear Collectors,
Here is
the e-mail version of my “spring, after Tucson
” mailed list (just now reaching . Most of this is stuff I’ve had but finally
got through research (some, like the LL3.10 below took several tries to finally
get done). The hexahedrite (NWA 8302) and Fukang I picked up in Tucson
and was thrilled to get them. I am keeping a full slice of the hexahedrite in
my collection as it will be the first iron I have that shows a heat alteration
rim. I am hanging on to a piece of many of the other things as well, as several
of these are things I’ll probably never get as nice an example of (or any)
again (L-melt, LL3.10, Eucrite breccia…..)
I should probably note (and should have on the mailed
version as well) that many of you, as I, have not received your tax refund. If
this is your case and you are interested in things offered here, I’ll be happy
to set things aside for you until the IRS sends your refund. So, don’t hesitate
to ask me to set things aside. This is actually the case with ANY of my offerings
any time of the year. I just ask that, if things change, to let me know if you
have changed your mind so I can move the item on to the next interested party.
NWA (8302):
Morocco . Iron.
Hexahedrite (IIAB). Found before 2010.
Tkw = 22.4 kilograms(?).
I put a question on the TKW as the official report is the
22,4kg and the small card I got when I bought the stuff said it was
15.25kilograms total. Either way, this is a nice, interesting meteorite. It
shows a good number of Nuemann lines as a hexahedrite should, as well as lots
of small sulfide inclusions. However, this also shows a very distinct
re-crystallized heat-alteration rim along the outer edge. I have seen pictures
of this in iron meteorites but I don’t recall ever having had an iron before
that shows this feature. I picked the full slices as they have the clearest
heat rim. The cut pieces all also show natural edge with an alteration zone.
1) Slices: etched one side:
a) 26.5 grams - 36mm x 22mm x 4mm -
$65
b) 46.8 grams - 46mm x 35mm x 4mm -
sold
c) 135.7 grams - 97mm x 42mm x 4mm
- sold
d) 238.7 grams – 170mm x 50mm x 4mm
- sold
e) 275.9 grams - 180mm x 70mm x 4mm
- $600 – complete slice, really strong heat rim.
Note: I may end up cutting up the
complete slice if it does not sell as is. Let me know what size smaller piece
you might like and I’ll try to end up with something close to that size if I do
cut this.
NWA (7019):
Ordinary chondrite. L-Melt rock. Found before February 2011. Tkw = 1315.8
grams.
I got three fragments (two of which fit together) from a
dealer in Tucson . It had a weird
green color and an odd texture that showed some fairly large vesicles. This
made both the seller and I suspect that this was an impact melt. The interior
upon cutting supported this hypothesis and later research work confirmed it.
The interior shows no chondrules, vesicles and rounded metal/ sulfide
inclusions in a fine-grained green matrix. This highly shocked meteorite likely
formed by a nearby impact that was large enough to completely melt this
material before it escaped its parent body.
1) Slices:
a) 4.0 grams - 18mm x 15mm x 4mm -
$24
b) 7.5 grams - 25mm x 24mm x 4mm -
$45
c) 14.4 grams - 45mm x 25mm x 4mm
- $85
d) 27.7 grams - 70mm x 40mm x 4mm
- $160 – complete slice.
e) 42.4 grams - 75mm x 50mm x 4mm
- $240 – complete slice.
2) End
pieces:
a) 34.9 grams - 50mm x 38mm x 14mm
- sold
b) 48.8 grams - 45mm x 38mm x 17mm
- $245
c) 69.5 grams - 60mm x 37mm x 20mm
- $345 – Main mass.
NWA (7029):
Ordinary chondrite (LL3.10). Found before September 2009. Tkw = 205.6 grams.
When I heard the news that this was a 3.10 I didn’t get too
excited. BUT when I looked up just how rare such a thing is I began wishing it
didn’t, more or less, take three tries to finally get this thing classified
(giving up around 25 grams on each try). Currently there are only four LL3.10
meteorites known (including this one) and only another 6 classified at lower
metamorphic grades (including Antarctic recoveries). If you include all the Hs
and Ls (the rest of the “ordinary chondrites”) then you have another 16
meteorites known with this low or lower of a metamorphic level. Needles to say,
these silces show LOTS of chondrules. Also needles to say, I have very little
of this special material. I have under 100 grams TOTAL remaining.
1) Slices:
a) 1.0 grams - 13mm x 12mm x 2mm -
$50
b) 2.0 grams - 26mm x 12mm x 2mm -
$100
c) 4.0 grams - 26mm x 20mm x 2mm -
$200
d) 7.8 grams - 36mm x 25mm x 3mm -
$400 – complete slice, lots of interesting inclusions.
NWA (7902):
Ordinary chondrite (L3.7), W2. Found before February 2013. Tkw = 2.02
kilograms.
This is one I bought in Tucson
last year. The seller, rightfully it turns out, thought this was a type 3 as it
shows quite a lot of chondrules on the exterior surfaces. I wasn’t so sure, or
at least wasn’t willing to pay the big premium that was being asked on this
“type 3” (something like $3/g I think – pretty typical asking price these days
for a raw “out of the field” type 3). We eventually came to an agreement we
both could live with and one where I can offer this now proven type 3 for
substantially less than its starting price from the seller. The interior does
not show much metal (pretty much just sulfides) but is nice in texture. There
are lots of chondrules of many sizes clearly visible on this roughly 55mm x 35mm
cut face. The rest of the stone is
natural wind-polished crust and some fracture (secondary
crust?). Nice as it is or great for cutting into slices (which I will likely do
if this does not sell intact).
1954.0
gram main mass – 170mm x 95mm x 70mm - $4000
NWA (7252):
Carbonaceous chondrite (CK5). Found before Feb. 2007. Tkw = 276.1 grams.
This is a piece that I sold after I had sent pieces off for
the classification work. After several years it became clear that this was not
going to get done so the buyer sold it back to me. More material sent off and
the work got done this time. This was originally an individual that was
completely crusted but had about 30% secondary crust (so there is likely at
least one more related piece out there somewhere). I went ahead and cut the
thing up. Slices of this, like most CKs, do not show a lot of chondrules (CKs
average only around 15% chondrules in volume) but has an interesting greenish
gray matrix.
1) Slices:
a) 1.2 grams - 15mm x 9mm x 3mm -
$18
b) 2.7 grams - 22mm x 13mm x 3mm -
$40
c) 4.5 grams - 22mm x 20mm x 3mm -
$67
d) 9.4 grams - 38mm x 27mm x 3mm -
$140
e) 21.5 grams - 47mm x 43mm x 4mm
- $300 – complete slice.
NWA (8162):
Achondrite. (Eucrite, monomict breccia. Found before September 2013. Tkw =
297.4 grams.
This is one I wish I could have gotten more of. This showed
some brecciation on its natural surface. The inside after cutting makes one say
“wow”. This shows LOTS of lighter colored clasts of all sizes surrounded by
dark highly shocked material. The material in the clasts and the surrounding
matrix all have the same composition, making this a “monomict” breccia. This
texture is likely due to impacts nearby on the surface of Vesta (yep, the Dawn
mission data is finally getting out and it confirms that Vesta is the source
for most of the meteorites classiied as HEDs in our collections!). I had this
professionally cut (I hair too big for my saw) and highly polished on one side
to really bring out the best in this stone.
1) Slices:
a) .6 grams - 12mm x 10mm x 2mm -
sold
b) 1.3 grams - 19mm x 11mm x 2mm -
$32
c) 2.4 grams - 23mm x 17mm x 2mm -
$60
d) 5.1 grams - 29mm x 27mm x 2mm -
$120
e) 9.9 grams - 40mm x 40mm x 2mm -
$225 – complete slice.
f) 23.5 grams - 70mm x 58mm x 2mm
- $500 – complete slice.
FUKANG, China :
(Pallasite). Found 2000. TKW = 1003 kilograms.
This is one that I offered (as a larger slice) on a recent
e-mail offering. I picked this up as part of a collection I purchased from a
German fossil dealer as a 100 gram square slice. It had never been coated so
there were a couple small rust spots on it. In my attempt to put a new shine on
this (using my antiquated polishing equipment) I managed to break it into
several pieces – the ones listed here. All of these are still large enough to
show the texture of this beautiful meteorite with its huge olivine crystals.
1) Slices:
a) 18.9 grams - 60mm x 30mm x 2mm
- $280
b) 26.4 grams - 60mm x 43mm x 2mm
- sold
c) 53.7 grams - 89mm x 50mm x 2mm
- sold
ACASTA GNEISS:
Ancient rock from Acasta River , Canada
Here is something I picked up a piece of a few years ago
and, when I mentioned it, I found there was a big demand for the stuff (my
piece got whittled down quite a bit in supplying pieces to people). I finally
got some more this past Tucson .
These are small 15mmx 20mm or so) pieces mounted in a labeled perky box. This
material is, at this point, the oldest known rock in the world. At 4.2 Billion
years old this is not quite as old as most meteorites but formed surprisingly
early in Earth’s history.
Small
(15mm plus) fragment in perky box – sold out. Will try to get more.
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.
My fax
machine has pretty much blown up on me. I can nurse it to work if I must (but
often loose the incoming fax if I am not really careful). For overseas orders,
it probably is best to go ahead and use my brmeteorites@yahoo.com e-mail. I
generally get/ deal with phone calls quicker but I will try to keep up on
checking e-mail this time.
Tuesday 1 April 2014
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 151
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………………LIST 151
Dear Collectors,
I think this is my last “after Tucson ”
list. Now I’ll have to dig around to come up with new future offerings (I need
to get a mailed list pulled together soon as well – it’ll be a busy couple
weeks ahead). This is going out a bit later than I would have liked as I went
to Montrose (and took longer than expected) to look at some potential
meteorites (none were, unfortunately) and buy an old broken pocket watch. I
will try to keep on top of e-mails this afternoon but there may be a couple
issues. First, I do have some people coming over later (mine and Blake’s
birthday – now over the hill at 50 even) so I may not get to check as often as
usual. In addition we have ferocious winds right now. High winds like this, for
some reason, often knock out our internet/ DSL connection. Strange, I thought
it was all wires in the ground. Anyway, I’ll do my best to keep checking (the
phone should always work, though we lost power and phone for an hour or so a
few days ago during a wind storm as well).
DHOFAR (1286),
Oman :
(Eucrite), polymict breccia. Found December 2005. Tkw = 848 grams.
Two pieces that fit together were found about 30 meters apart.
This meteorite contains clasts/ fragments of various compositions and colors –
making it look very much like a howardite. However, this lacked enough pyroxene
to be classified as a howardite. I recently sold out of what I had of this
meteorite (and tossed out the remaining info cards) but then picked up a few
more pieces in Tucson (and re-made
new cards).
a) 2.0
gram slice – 20mm x 17mm x 2.5mm - $25
b) 4.2
gram slice – 42mm x 20mm x 2mm - $50
c) 6.8
gram slice – 35mm x 25mm x 3mm - $75
d) 20.2
gram end piece – 40mm x 20mm x 16mm - $200
IMILAC,
Chile: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 1822.
This is a beautiful ¼ slice (2 cut edges at right angle to
each other with the remainder being a long natural edge). This is cut super
thin so light passes through all of the crystals. This fantastic material has
gotten hard (and expensive) to acquire these days. I think this is the first
thin slice of Imilac I have had in several years or more. A simply stunning
display piece.
22.9
gram part slice – 55mm x 55mm x 1.5mm - sold
NWA (769):
(Eucrite), unbrecciated. Found November 10, 2000. Tkw = 712 grams.
I don’t think I have ever had any pieces of this meteorite
before. I got a small lot of fragments, cut fragments and a couple slices at
the show. Most of this does indeed look very similar in texture to typical
Millbillillie but with much smaller crystal size (really fine-grained).
However, a couple pieces do show some uniform (pretty much no crystal texture
visible) light gray clasts. Most of the fragments and cut fragments have some
(some pieces quite a lot) of nice dark crust that has not had its
texture wind-polished away.
a) 2.0
gram slice – 20mm x 10mm x 4mm - $25
b) 3.9
gram fragment – 20mm x 15mm x 10mm - $49 – 12mm x 15mm crust.
c) 5.4
gram slice – 30mm x 18mm x 5mm - $67
d) 10.9
gram end piece – 23mm x 15mm x 17mm - $135 – back ~ 35% crust.
e) 15.8
gram end piece – 35mm x 17mm x 16mm - $195 – back 40%+ crusted.
f)
38.0 gram end piece – 55mm x 30mm x 17mm - $450 – back
over 50% crusted.
NWA (7325):
Ungrouped achondrite. Found 2012. Tkw = 345+ grams.
This is the stuff that showed weird green fusion crust on
the rare pieces that had crust. Its low iron content, texture and other
features have led some to believe that this may be from the planet Mercury
(though others would argue that this material is far too ancient to be from a
body of that size). Regardless, this is strange and unique material no matter
where it came from. I have a few cut pieces and one fragment (that actually
does have a small 3mm x 2mm patch of the weird green crust) that I picked up
from Matt in Denver back in December but only recently got around to cataloging
them.
a) .61
gram slice – 18mm x 10mm x 1mm - $580
b) .87
gram end piece – 14mm x 10mm x 4mm - $785
c) 1.54
gram fragment – 13mm x 12mm x 7mm - $1400 – has small patch of crust.
d) 1.68
gram slice – 28mm x 16mm x 1mm - $1590
NWA 8159:
Martian. Augite basalt. Found 2013. Tkw = 149.4 grams.
This is one that brings up mixed emotions for me. I am
thrilled at its discovery as I am the one that pretty much discovered this gem.
It was in the “likely junk to go out to the rock garden” pile that a fellow
meteorite dealer had at the 2013 Denver Show. He had me going through MANY
(easily over 100) rocks to see what might be important (with the rain and
flooding during the show, I had plenty of time for this and found it, at times,
to be an interesting distraction). I saw this one in the “junk” pile and
commented that it most definitely was a meteorite as it had clearly visible
shock veins. Thankfully, he had cut the thing so I had a cut surface to run the
XRF on. I expected the thing to come up as a Eucrite, as that is pretty much
what the thing looked like. HOWEVER, the chemistry of the thing came up as
MARTIAN! At that point, the owner said that if this turned out to be the case
he would give me “a complete slice of like 20grams” (gads, I wish I had gotten
THAT in writing now). Anyway, not only did this thing turn out to be Martian,
it turned out to be a completely new type of Martian! It has some similarities
to various features of Nakhlites and Shegottites but yet is overall different.
I did indeed get a package from the owner containing a sample for my helping in
the discovery once this was officially reported. It contained a 2.2g block. I
double/ triple checked the box to be sure I didn’t miss anything else in the
packing material. Nope, nothing. I figured more would come later after cutting.
I checked the Meteoritical Bulletin report for the thing and it did list me as
having some of this (but unfortunately not anything about my part in the
discovery) and it did indeed confirm that my share was indeed 2.2 grams. Now
don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have this (certainly better than NOTHING
which is easily what I could have ended up with). I guess I am being a little greedy
myself. A couple grams certainly will change my month, but 20grams would have
changed my year (but then, I would have found it really difficult to break up a
complete slice). I split the thick block into two thinner slices and then broke
those up into the pieces listed here. I have already sold some and am keeping a
small piece for myself so I have less than 1.25 grams total to sell. The price is going to seem really high BUT
this is right about what much larger pieces were selling (and pieces were indeed
selling) for per gram in Tucson. The price has supposedly been raised (right
after the show) to $8159/ gram. Given what the other unique Mars rock “Black
Beauty” has been bringing, this is probably not all that unreasonable or
surprising. Anyway, get em while I got em. I’ll give the contact info for the
holder of the main portion of this material if I run out or you really need
something bigger than I have here. All of these pieces are in a membrane box.
a) .042
gram slice – 3mm x 3mm x 2mm - sold
b) .080
gram slice – 4mm x 4mm x 2mm - $420
c) .115
gram slice – 6mm x 4mm x 2mm - sold
d) .335
gram slice – 9mm x 7mm x 2mm - sold
e) .580
gram slice – 11mm x 9.5mm x 2mm - $2900
SMARA,
Western Sahara. Achondrite (Eucrite), polymict breccia. Found 2000. Tkw = 12.87
kilograms.
Here is a eucrite that came from the NWA area but has an
actual name and known find location. In addition, this is interesting in that
it is a breccia containing clasts of many types (including subophitic basalts,
granular microgabbros and impact melt clasts). I have two piece that were once
one; a long part slice that I managed to break (not intentionally however)
during transport back home from the show.
19.0
gram part slice – 35mm x 34mm x 6mm - $230
25.1
gram part slice – 45mm x 35mm x 6mm - $300
SPRING WATER,
Canada: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 1931.
Here is a fairly small block that I have left exactly as I
got it. It is a piece that is cut on all sides. It has not been polished or
coated but yet still shows bright metal (with no distinct rusting) and nice
bright crystals. I think that this was an old research work piece as it is in a
research type snap lid plastic vial. This also has the number 135d written on
it in black ink (a big part o the reason I left this thing alone – handling
while polishing or the spray coating material could have easily destroyed this
feature) indicating that this was likely cut from the early Nininger Spring
water specimen.
11.67
gram block – 17mm x 14mm x 12mm - $250
VACA MUERTA,
Chile: Stony-iron (Mesosiderite). Found 1861.
This is a small cut fragment that came in as part of a
collection. It is nothing special but the small (17mm x 11mm) cut face does
show more metal than most Vaca pieces I have had.
8.0
gram cut fragment – 18mm x 13mm x 14mm - $24
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