Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 179

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487                                                                                                                               

…………………………………………………..LIST 179

October 14, 2015

Dear collectors,

                Here is the e-mail version of my mailed after Denver list (that many of you are now also receiving by mail). The show was quite slow foot traffic wise, but sales seemed to hold up well and ended at somewhat above average. Not bad considering the stock market gyrations we have had lately as well. I did pick up a few items at the show but mostly just usual inventory items as “new” stuff (mostly unstudied) was generally quite richly priced (even though the dollar is up substantially against most other currencies). New Mexico Mineral Symposium, Socorro, New Mexico: I’ll be out of town from November 11^th through about the 18^th (weather conditions will determine). I will have a room set up at the Socorro Comfort Inn (1259 Frontage Rd. NW) supposedly room 119, but this could change. I should be set up and open Friday afternoon (the 13^th) until late (11PM or so) and then open Saturday from around 5PM until late once more.  

GEBEL KAMIL, Egypt: Ni-rich ataxite. Found 2009. Tkw = about 1600 kilograms.

Here are some generally larger pieces of this meteorite that created a crater in its fall around 5000 years ago. This event was likely witnessed by people, as debris from the impact partially cover a trade route through the area.  I had thought about not putting these on a mailed list again as I have already offered similar pieces in the not too distant past (though at a somewhat higher price). However, every time I put pieces of this out at shows, they tend to sell rapidly, so collectors seem to still be interested in pieces of this meteorite. Also, my first offerings were all quite small specimens. I am offering a few such here, but now is a chance to get a substantial sized piece of this interesting and increasingly famous meteorite. These are all natural shrapnel fragments. They have been air/ soda blasted to remove loose dirt but are otherwise left as found.

1) Shrapnel pieces:

a)  67.6 grams - 45mm x 28mm x 12mm - $50

b) 141.6 grams - 65mm x 26mm x 21mm - $105

c) 291.7 grams - 75mm x 50mm x 18mm - $210

d) 624.4 grams - 100mm x 55mm x 23mm - $440

e) 1158.3 grams - 80mm x 80mm x 30mm - $800

f) 1632.8 grams - 150mm x 70mm x 40mm - $1100

BUZZARD COULEE, Canada: (H4), S2, W0. Fell November 20, 2008. Tkw = over 41kg.

I picked up a small batch of nice little individuals at a show awhile back and then set them aside, kind of forgetting about them (they were so small and a small amount so I kind of ignored them). The fireball of this fall was witnessed across a huge area; Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Thankfully, all sky cameras and security cameras caught the fall. From these, and some eyewitness accounts, a likely fall area was calculated. Seven days after the fall, some meteorites were recovered on top of a frozen pond in the calculated fall area. Many more pieces have been found since. I am not sure when these particular pieces were recovered but they do seem to be very fresh. Some have some hints of dirt but otherwise show fresh black crust with only the tinniest hints of browning (if any). Nice little individuals.

1)       Complete individuals as found:

a) .46 grams - 8mm x 5mm x 5mm - $15

b) .83 grams - 8mm x 8mm x 6mm - $25

c) 1.23 grams - 13mm x 7mm x 6mm - $33

d) 1.60 grams - 15mm x 9mm x 7mm - $40

NWA (7002): Ordinary chondrite (LL6), S2, W2. Purchased September 2011. Tkw = 53 grams.

Here is a neat little fully published main mass of a somewhat rarer type priced well below what it would normally cost me to just get the thing classified! The exterior has the usual wind-polishing but still retains a somewhat sculpted meteorite shape (with the larger smoother side showing remnants of contraction cracks). The interior is quite fresh, showing fresh metal and sulfides (but not a lot – this is truly a low iron LL) in a brecciated light tan (almost orange) to light brown matrix.

                43.5 gram individual with end cut off – 30mm x 22mm x 33mm - sold

NWA (10063): Ordinary chondrite (L3), S3, W2. Found 2014. Tkw = 920 grams.

Well, here it is; my first NWA meteorite that is now one number longer. It seems the researchers skipped most (all?) of the NWA (9000) range and jumped right to 10K recently. This meteorite is one that Steve Arnold sent me a piece of to get my opinion on whether or not I thought it might be a type 3. I said it certainly LOOKED like one but I could not be absolutely certain. I have often been “burned” by type 4s that were supposed to be (and certainly looked like) type 3s and the seller of this was pricing it as a type 3. There was something like 3kg or so of this available originally. Buy the time we sorted out that this WAS indeed really a type 3 (and a fairly low one at that – something between 3.4 and 3.6) only 900g of this stuff was left to purchase. I got around 400 grams that I have cut up to offer here. This is quite fresh, showing LOTS of chondrules and fresh metal in a light gray to tan matrix. I do have some end pieces available as well. The weights on those are: 14.4g, 45.8g, 57.3g and are priced at $3.50/ grams.

1)       Slices:

a) 3.1 grams - 25mm x 16mm x 3mm - $13

b) 6.5 grams - 28mm x 25mm x 3mm - $26

c) 14.5 grams - 40mm x 30mm x 4mm - $55 – complete slice.

d) 36.1 grams - 55mm x 50mm x 4mm - $130 – complete slice

e) 53.7 grams - 65mm x 60mm x 4mm - $190 – complete slice. Has interesting 18mm x 10mm melt pocket/ inclusion. 

NWA (8160): Carbonaceous chondrite. (CV3). Found before September 2013. Tkw = 5.3 kilograms.

I got a 3.5kg or so sack of mostly small fragments of this at the Denver Show. I wish I could have gotten more and bigger pieces after cutting some of this though. It is quite nice inside. The background is fairly light gray, making the chondrules and the common, often quite large CAI’s show very nicely. This has some weathering to it, but this seems to have only made some of the chondrules turn various shades of orange giving this stuff even greater visual appeal.

1)       Cut fragments:

a) 2.3 grams - 17mm x 17mm x 5mm - $12

b) 5.1 grams - 23mm x 15mm x 6mm - $25

c) 11.1 grams - 25mm x 22mm x 10mm - $55

d) 15.4 grams - 40mm x 27mm x 8mm - $75

e) 20.5 grams - 42mm x 30mm x 8mm - $100

f) 25.0 grams - 43mm x 32mm x 8mm - $125

g) 33.7 grams - 43mm x 30mm x 18mm - $160

DHOFAR (836), Oman. Achondrite (Ureilite). Found August 15, 2000. Tkw = 995 grams.

I got this from Steve Arnold in Tucson after he paid some really stupid low price for it in an auction. Steve was worried that he might be selling me the “only easy to cut ureilite” he has ever had. He needn’t have worried. Though this stone is oddly labeled as “low shock, S1” in the bulletin, it was anything but easy to prepare. I trashed a half dozen or so blades and finished off the last of my diamond polishing belts in cutting and preparing this stuff. I finally won the battle, but it took many days of work to complete. This did turn out nice though. I didn’t put a high polish on it so the individual grains show clearly.

1)       Slices:

a) 1.1 grams - 15mm x 7mm x 3mm - $28

b) 2.2 grams - 18mm x 18mm x 3mm - $55

c) 3.0 grams - 25mm x 15mm x 3mm - $75

d) 5.0 grams - 28mm x 24mm x 3mm - $120

e) 8.1 grams - 35mm x 25mm x 4mm - $180

2)       End piece:

a) 16.3 grams - 30mm x 20mm x 18mm - $325

d) 6.8 grams - 30mm x 20mm x 5mm - $100

e) 12.8 grams - 45mm x 24mm x 6mm - $180 

IMPACTITE: Lake Wanapitei, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

I got these in Tucson over a year ago and then forgot I had them (they were tucked into a small padded envelope). These are mostly 20gram or so thick slices and cut fragments of  “Suevite” from the Lake Wanapitei crater. This crater is 5.2 miles in diameter and estimated to be 37.2 million years old. These pieces show varying amounts if clasts in a light greenish background. Most of these have not been highly polished (the material is too soft) but spray-coated to bring out the colors and features better, as a high polish would.

                20+ gram slice or end piece (state your preference) - $20

Please note:

 Shipping:  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). Overseas prices have gone up A LOT the past couple years. 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.

                I do have a new fax machine that seems to work (but I have to answer it and manually turn it on), so overseas people can contact me that way if they must  However, for overseas orders, it probably is best to go ahead and use my brmeteorites@yahoo.com e-mail. 

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 178 and Denver show info 2015

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 178 and Denver show info 2015

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

…………………………………………………..LIST 178

September 2, 2015

Dear collectors,

Here is a small offering (that was supposed to go out yesterday but I took a bit too long on the mountain gathering mushrooms that “morning”) that I am mostly doing so I can also send out information on the Denver show that is far too close around the corner.

I will be gone from home from the morning of September 10th until probably around Wednesday the 23rd. The show itself opens on Sunday the 13th. For this year (more notes on this below) I will be in my usual room: 224 at what is now the RAMADA plaza (4849 Bannock St.). I will be setting up on Saturday the 12th and there is a chance that I might be open on Saturday afternoon (assuming they haven’t re-modeled the room yet again requiring me to spend time hunting down odd sized tables to borrow). I will be open the rest of the days (Sunday the 13th through Sunday the 20th) at 10AM. I will be open in the evenings at least until around 9pm to 10pm (depending upon if people are actually still visiting/ wandering the halls). I don’t know if I’ll be closing early on Friday (the 18th) this year. The place where COMETS used to hold their auction/ social event is no longer available so I think the event may have been canceled this year (but please do your own research to be sure I am not wrong on this). I also fear though that there is a chance that this might end up being my last Denver show for a bit as well. The hotel has gotten new owners and it seems those new owners either don’t want the hassle of shows in their hotel or have gotten greedy to the point that no one can afford it any more. The spring show (which is in the same hotel) that I enjoyed because it was the one show I got to wander around and goof-off as a buyer, has been canceled as no show agreement could be reached for future years. IF this happens to the fall show as well, I suspect that it would take quite some time and maneuvering to find a spot in a different venue (God, I REALLY don’t want to do a coliseum type show – no chance for after hours visiting and such).

Anyway, on to the offering:

ALBIN, Wyoming. (Pallasite). Found 1915. Tkw = 40+ kilograms.
Here are a couple pieces that are clearly left over from research work at some point (likely long ago). They are slices that are set in a block of resin with one side highly polished for research work. The resin block on the larger piece had a corner broken off but the slice is undamaged. Both show a very nice mix of metal and angular olivine crystals (of widely varying sizes).
a) slice in resin – 20mm x 15mm x 3mm - $40
b) slice in resin – 28mm x 16mm x 7mm - $100

ALLENDE, Mexico: Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3). Fell February 8, 1969.
Here is a small assortment of pieces I got from an old research collection. All pieces are very fresh but only the largest (the end piece) has crust. The crust on this piece covers probably 85 to 90% of the back side (just the usual edge/ corner chips).
a) two fragments (largest 12mm x 9mm x 4mm) - .8 grams - $12
b) 7.9 gram fragment (fresh but no crust) – 18mm x 16mm x 16mm - $100
c) 21.0 gram end piece with nice crust – 27mm x 22mm x 18mm - $250

CAPE YORK, Greenland: Medium octahedrite (IIIAB). Found 1818.
This is a nicely etched elongate bar specimen. Three edges are definitely cut with the fourth likely being a break along an inclusion (as opposed to a genuine exterior edge). For a time some years (10 plus?) this stuff was fairly easy to come by. I have seen very little of this meteorite available in recent times though.
6.13 gram etched slice – 25mm x 10mm x 3mm -$40

DIMMITT, Texas: (H3.7). Found 1942, recognized 1950.
This is a small complete slice I sold the previous owner back in December of 1993. About 2/3 of the natural edge is weathered fusion crust with the remainder appearing to be an old natural break. I think that this piece was cut from a stone that is a bit less weathered than most. The interior is lighter brown than most I have seen. There is also a fair amount of metal and troilite still clearly visible as well.
9.0 gram complete slice – 47mm x 16mm x 3mm - $30

ST. MICHEL, Finland: (L6). Fell July 12, 1910. Tkw = 16.45 kilograms.
I have had a number of specimens of this over the past few years, but this is probably the largest (or close to it). This is a long rectangular part slice (with two cut edges and two (the shorter sides) looking to be natural. This piece is really shows a nice breccia texture. It has lots of lighter colored rounded fragments from tiny up to 25mm in size. The areas between are dark shocked) gray.
21.0 gram part slice – 55mm x 22mm x 5mm - $400

SIKHOTE-ALIN, Russia: Coarsest octahedrite (IIAB). Ell February 12, 1947.
This is natural shrapnel fragment that the previous owner bought from Robert Haag back in 1991 (unfortunately, it didn’t come with the original R.H. label). I suspect that he paid a pretty high price for it. Back then, Sikhote-Alin was very hard to come by (so much so that Alain Carion featured a piece on the cover of his first book). It first came available for around $10/g or so (for shrapnel – which was all that was available). As the supply increased, the price dropped to around $3/g for awhile (eventually dropping far lower when the flood gates really opened up some years later). I suspect that it was around this $3/g that was paid or this piece. Anyway, it is a nice piece that shows a distinct shrapnel texture.
21.2 gram natural shrapnel piece – 35mm x 16mm x 15mm - $20

SPRINGWATER, Canada: (Pallasite). Found 1931. Tkw = 68+ kilograms.
I know a lot of pieces have been found in recent years but this piece is clearly from the first recovered specimen. It has the typical old museum style thick cut style (not the thin – see through olivine most collectors demand these days. Those while pretty can be hard to keep intact long term if not stored and handled very carefully). One side of this slice is polished and the other is etched. I spray coated this piece as it had nothing (but the bag it was in) protecting it before.
15.9 gram slice – 25mm x 23mm x 7mm - $250

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 177

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 177

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

…………………………………………………..LIST 177

August 11, 2015

Dear collectors,

This was supposed to go out last week but I was to busy catching up from being gone for the Creede show (I just now got finished unpacking and putting things away from the show)– I had a pile of work waiting for me when I got home.

CHICO, New Mexico: (L6) impact melt. Found January 1954. Tkw = 105 kilograms.
Most of this large stone was typical (L6) material/ texture. However, about 1/3 of it had a weird slaggy look to it (super fine texture, rounded metal blebs, vesicles and a weird greenish gray color). Interestingly, I had a large (400g) piece of this in Tucson and quickly sold it. Luckily, I picked up a small bag of small part slices a day or so later. These are what I have here (I put them in the drawer at the show). These are all from the impact melt/ slaggy portion of this meteorite.
1) Part slices:
a) 2.5 grams – 22mm x 8mm x 5mm - $15
b) 5.6 grams – 28mm x 15mm x 5mm - $34
c) 11.1 grams – 37mm x 27mm x 5mm - $65
d) 18.0 grams – 37mm x 32mm x 5mm - $100

MOLDAVITE:
To be honest, this is certainly not a great looking piece. It clearly has some ancient fracturing and little in the way of surface texture/ etching. I suspect that this is a stream bed recovery. The one thing interesting about it though is its source. The previous owner got it from Science Graphics, which was Richard Norton. Unfortunately, no card came with it (but then I don’t recall any of the Science Graphics specimens in this collection having any labels with them).
4.1 gram fragment as found – 22mm x 17mm x 9mm - $25

NWA 6950: Lunar meteorite. Gabbro. Found June 2011. Tkw = 1649 grams.
I had slices of this meteorite on my January 2015 mailed list. I nearly sold out – only having a couple .25 to .5g pieces left after the orders died off from that mailing. Luckily, I was able to pick up more of this in Tucson. So, if you thought about ordering a piece off of that list but delayed or forgot, I now have pieces of most sizes available once again. These crumbs and fragments are from my preparing larger (4 or 5g) pieces into those smaller sizes. This is a capsule containing dust, crumbs and fragments. Certainly nothing super exciting, but certainly something that should be tossed aside.
.08 grams of dust crumbs and fragments in a capsule - $30

NWA 8159: Martian (augite basalt). Found 2013. Tkw = 149.5 grams.
Here is one that (despite what some may say) I discovered. It was in the “likely trash” pile of rocks that the owner had brought to my room in Denver 2013. We had few customers and lots of flooding (which was why we had few customers) so I willingly ran a bunch of interesting things on my XRF to help sort things out. I commented that this one was a meteorite as it showed obvious shock veins. Thankfully, the thing was cut open so I could run a cut surface (I generally don’t fully trust weathered surfaces as their chemistry can be pretty goofed up). I expected to see data for a eucrite come up (as that is pretty much what this looked like). However, the data (Fe/Mn ratio, P, etc.) came up as Martian! Obviously, a piece of this quickly got sent in for research. When that got done it turned out that not only was this a Martian, it was a NEW TYPE of Martian! I was promised a good piece of this. What I did get was a 2g block that I cut up and have already sold all of but these “pieces” here (if you want real specimens you’ll need to contact Eegooblago Meteorites. I think he is the only one with this material to sell). I am not certain what they are asking for this material at this point. It started at $5k/g went to $8159/g (matching its NWA number) and I was told (but did not look into it) it was now $10k/g. Really high on first glance, but I know a decent amount of “Black Beauty” (of which there is a whole lot more of) sold for this and higher.
a) .11g of powder salvaged from cutting of this material in a vial - $225

PHILIPPINITE: Rizalite. Tektite from the Philippine Islands.
This is another specimen that was part of a collection I bought over a year ago. It is also one I sold the previous owner back in 1989. The “card” the previous owner had with this had the note “Excellent grooving”. And it indeed does show this. A neat and quite rare specimen these days.
83.3 gram complete “individual” as found – 60mm x 40mm x 27mm - $115

TISSINT, Morocco: Martian (olivine-phyric shergottite). Fell July 18, 2011. Tkw = around 7 kilograms.
Here are a couple really fresh fragments that have really bright and shiny fusion crust covering about 1/3 of the specimen. I saw very little of this material available in Tucson this year and the prices were substantially higher than even what they were in Denver the September before. I guess this strewn field is already pretty much worked out. I also recall that there was some announcement concerning organics that might be associated with life were recently found in some pieces of this fall (I’m sure that did anything but make this stuff more affordable). Anyway, here is a chance to pick up a great little piece (or two).
1) Fragments with fusion crust:
a) .330 grams – 9mm x 5mm x 5mm - $300
b) .402 grams – 9mm x 6mm x 6mm - $360

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 176 - Ancient Meteorite Coins

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 176 - Ancient Meteorite Coins

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

…………………………………………………..LIST 176

July 21, 2015

Dear collectors,

Sorry that this is going out so late.

ANCIENT METEORITE COINS:
Here is a small selection of ancient coins that are believed to show a meteorite. The oldest one is sliver and shows a man (Zeus) sitting on what is supposed to be a meteorite. The “newer” ones are bronze and show a stone (that had supposedly been seen to have fallen from the sky) either in a temple or on a wheeled cart. I’ll try to give a bit better description of each below. I am not an ancient coin expert but I did pick these up from a person who is. I was told that these (as pretty much any of the ancient “meteorite” coins) are quite scarce. Blake and I have taken a couple group shot photos (of all 4 together one front one back). These pictures didn’t turn out super well as we really don’t have the proper equipment (most coin photographers have special lighting and such to bring out details) and most of these are in holders (that reflect light and glare pretty badly). I’ll send these pictures to those interested.

a) Selucid Kingdom: Antiochus (III) the great. Circa 223 – 187 BC.
This is a small silver coin that is roughly 16mm diameter and weighs 4.1 grams. The front has a high relief (but somewhat hard to make out) face facing right. The reverse has lettering and a person (Zeus) sitting on a stone (called Omphalus according to the info I was given) and is supposedly a meteorite - $250

b) Antonius Pius: 138-161 AD.
This is a 23mm diameter bronze coin that weighs 9.7 grams. The obverse has a bust (likely of Antonius Pius) facing right. The back has a stone (meteorite) in a temple with an eagle standing on the roof point. The description note that comes with this coin says this is “Sacred stone of Zeus Kasios in tetrastyle shrine, with pyramidal roof surmounted by eagle”. The meteorite, shrine and bust are fairly clear on this, but not much else - $100

c) Elagabaus: 218-222 AD.
This is a 25mm diameter 9.8 gram bronze coin (likely the same denomination as the above piece). The obverse has a bust facing right. The reverse has a stone (meteorite) in a wheeled cart. I was told this is the “Cart of Astarte with the stone of Emasa or Sidon”. This coin has a fairly heavy green patina but a good amount of details are visible none the less - $125

d) Elagabaus: 218-222 AD.
This is a 29mm diameter 15.2 gram bronze coin. As the above piece, it has a bust facing right on the obverse and a stone in a wheeled cart on the reverse. Again, the reverse is supposedly the “cart of Astarte with the stone of Emasa or Sidon”. The bust and cart are fairly clear (for an 1800 year old piece of bronze anyway) on this coin but further details are hard, at best, to make out - $150

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 175 - Meteorite watches

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

…………………………………………………..LIST 175

June 24, 2015

Dear collectors,
  Here is your chance to buy, wear and show off a stylish new watch this summer. I have a group photo of these loaded in my computer and ready to send to anyone interested.

METEORITE WATCHES:
Here is a selection of wrist- watches that were brought to me in Tucson. These belonged to a collector (not from the original source) who bought these years ago at a show in Europe. Regardless, all but one are in brand new, unworn condition. The three that are quartz movements have also had new batteries put in them. These three also come with certificates (in German I think) stating that they are meteorite watches.

a) GIBEON faced watch.
This is the smallest sized watch of the group, and is, by far the lightest as the case is made out of Titanium. This is also the only watch that shows any sign of use (I was told it was worn a couple times and then set aside). The dial (27mm diameter) shows a nice typical Gibeon fine octahedrite etch and gold tone hands. The case and buckle are a nice brushed gray titanium metal. This has an orange- brown leather band. - $150

b) DAMASCUS style dial face:
This is probably the largest watch of the group (about 40mm diameter). The dial itself is around 32mm diameter and has the wavy bands of light and dark layers like a damascus forged knife. I have no idea what meteorite this was made from, unfortunately. Regardless, it is a good looking item. The case looks to be mostly polished stainless (and the XRF says the same). The 4mm wide rim around the crystal is brushed and has engraved roman numerals which makes it easier to accurately set and read this watch (this is the ONLY watch of the group that has numbers for reference). This comes with a black leather band. The original price (sticker is still on this) was $300. Now yours for $200

c) GIBEON faced watch:
This is a fairly simple watch by overall design but has an artistic flare. It is a basic brushed stainless steel case on a black likely leather band. The dial (28mm diameter) is etched Gibeon and has simple black hands. The interesting feature of this watch is that it has a couple dozen or so tiny faceted gem stones (likely cubic zirconia. They sparkle really bright but I doubt they used actual diamonds here) that free-float between two glass plates above the dial. No purpose, but quite eye-catching in the light. This didn’t have any original price info with it but I suspect that it was not terribly cheap as it comes in an interesting (custom?) holder/ display box. - $225

d) TOLUCA (?) faced watch.
This one is my favorite of the group. This is partly because it is the only mechanical (wind-up) of the group (no batteries needed but if you forget to wind it you won’t know what time it is) and partly for its style. The dial (26mm diameter) has a cut-away area that allows some of the winding and setting mechanisms to be seen (that are normally hidden under the dial). I cannot be certain that this is Toluca but it has an etch that certainly looks similar to Toluca (though perhaps just a but smaller in plate size than some I’ve seen) and I know this was a popular meteorite for high end watch dials years ago. This is an 18 jewel movement (no maker info that I could see) and also has another high end feature (that I don’t have on any of my mechanical watches in my collection) it has an alarm! The original price sticker is still on this one and it was $500. It can now be yours for $350

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 174 - some special irons

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 174 - some special irons

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Phone/fax (970) 874-1487

…………………………………………………..LIST 174

May 19, 2015

Dear collectors,

I hadn’t planned on having a list this week as I was supposed to be in Phoenix running a “garage” sale for my uncle in Cave Creek (so he can move to a smaller place on the other side of town). That has gotten delayed for several reasons so I am home this week after all.

Anyway, I picked up (and re-discovered) some really neat irons for this offering. All of these have something special about them. This list is a little bigger than usual I admit. However, I figured that this partly makes up for the fact that it is very unlikely that I’ll have an offering at all in early June.

BOTTLE OPENERS: “natural” meteorites that work as bottle openers.
I bought a Canyon Diablo (for a quite high price at the time) that works well as a bottle opener close to 30 years ago. I use it often at shows. Every time I use it, people want to buy it. Nope, still keeping that one (though these seem to work even a bit better, perhaps). One of these is a sand-blasted Canyon Diablo that I had out for sale in Tucson (for $1/g). Someone pointed out that it looked like it might work well as a bottle opener. A little “testing” showed it indeed did. I set it aside and forgot I had it until recently discovering a Gebel Kamil (Natural exterior) that looked like it might work as well to remind me. To be honest, these don’t work best (but they do still work) if you just go at a bottle the way you’d first think (even my old Diablo is this way – you hold it at an angle to the cap, not straight on and it works great). So, I bought a couple 6-packs and experimented over a few days (Blake helped as well). It turns out that with a little practice (buy something you enjoy drinking for practice) these work great. I have marked each with a white spot that shows the edge(s) that you should place under the edge of the bottle cap for the most effective use that I found (your experimentation may show that another angle may ultimately be better). So, buy your bottle opener today and enjoy this summer’s beverages in a semi-unique way.
a) Canyon Diablo, Arizona: 185.5 grams – 70mm x 35mm x 18mm - $170
b) Gebel Kamil, Egypt: 493.2 grams – 100mm x 60mm x 28mm - $350

CANYON DIABLO, Arizona: Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1891.
Here are three specimens (actually 4 as one “specimen” here actually contains two pieces) that are truly top-notch pieces for this famous meteorite. Two of these (well three actually) are really nice sculpted pieces with thumb-printed shapes and sharp edges. The middle sized one has the more usual rounded edges but is also nicely sculpted. As an added bonus, this one has a large hole through the center of it.

a) 393.1 gram sculpted individual – 65mm x 55mm x 28mm - $350
This is one of the nicest pieces of Canyon Diablo I have had in years this size. It has a great thumb-printed sharp edged shape. It has also been highly brushed. Frankly, this piece would be VERY easy to mistake for a nice small Gibeon individual.

b) 589.1 gram individual with large hole – 55mm x 50mm x 50mm - $700
This piece has a nice sculpted shape, though its edges are rounded. The piece’s best feature though is a large hole (roughly 12mm x 5mm at its smallest) deep through the center of it. I have seen plenty of pieces that have a hole near an edge/ through a thin spot on the specimen. However, this piece is very blocky (no real thin edges) and the hole is basically through the center. It starts out as large deep pits on either side of the specimen. It was the process of cleaning (removing caliche, dirt, etc.) that eventually showed that these “surface pits” were actually connected by a hole deep in the center of the specimen. Great piece (I have photos ready to send out) and the first Diablo I have had in many, many years that has a hole.

c) Canyon Diablo “Meteor Crater” display.
Here is a really well done desk display set. It consists of two really nice Canyon Diablo meteorites in a plexiglass box. Both meteorites are nice, but the largest is superb. The small specimen is a long, thin sculpted piece of 9.5 grams (37mm x 13mm x 4mm) that has been left natural. The larger is a fantastic long thumb-printed/ sharp edged piece weighing 940 grams (140mm x 55mm x 25mm) that has been lightly brushed. Both of these would be very easy to mistake for a nice Gibeon individual. In fact, when I first received pictures of these pieces, that is exactly what I thought they were. However, something even more special about the large piece showed the truth of their origin. It turns out that upon inspection, the large piece has a Monig number painted on it. It is a little beat up but it can still be clearly made out as M13.9. Looking up Canyon Diablo in the Monig collection books clearly shows that Canyon Diablo was M13 in his collection. I don’t recall ever having a Monig Diablo before so I suspect that these are fairly rare. Anyway, both of these pieces are housed in a heavy plexiglass display box (lid easily lifts off) that someone has made with a very natural looking ground surface (kind of looks like the dirt in the Meteor Crater area). There are cut out areas (recessed) that have information about the meteorites (including small area under each noting its weight). A really cool item (photos ready to send).
Canyon Diablo Display with two specimens - $1500

GEBEL KAMIL, Egypt. Ni-rich ataxite. Found 2008.
I know, I have offered pieces of this a couple times in the past (usually at a somewhat higher price). However, these have a special feature that I have only seen on a few other pieces of this meteorite – slaggy melt glass patches. I know, meteorites do NOT come down hot (despite what bad Sci-Fi films have the general public believing). However, these particular pieces clearly were very hot when they hit the desert sand. Each of these has a patch (usually small but my smallest specimen has the biggest patch, oddly) of black (with white clasts) bubbly glass that was formed from some of the desert sand and rocks melting when they came into contact with these obviously very hot meteorites during the impact. On the listings below, the first measurements are the rough overall size of the specimen and the second (after the price) is the rough area of obvious melt glass. I have tried to price these at (or below), for the most part, of what usual specimens of this meteorite typically sell for (I got a fairly good deal on a bag of pieces). These all are basically natural but have been air/ soda-blasted to remove loose dirt.
1) Natural individuals: All showing some attached melted sand blobs.
a) 66.8 grams – 50mm x 30mm x 12mm - $70 – melt glass 20mm x 6mm.
b) 100.4 grams – 63mm x 34mm x 12mm - $75- melt glass area 4mm x 3mm.
c) 191.4 grams – 85mm x 45mm x 20mm - $140 – melt glass area 4mm x 3mm plus smaller patches.
d) 278.7 grams – 90mm x 45mm x 20mm - $200 – melt glass area 13mm x 5mm.
e) 576.7 grams – 110mm x 50mm x 28mm - $400 – melt area 6mm x 5mm and really vesiculated.

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 173 - Meteorite "coins"

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 173 - Meteorite "coins"

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

…………………………………………………..LIST 173
May 5, 2015

Dear collectors,

Sorry that this is going out a bit late, I was tied up with stuff most of today. Part of that is that this is the first day (knock on wood) that I have felt able to get around much and get things accomplished. I really enjoyed visiting the Denver spring show a week or so ago. Two things from that trip kind of screwed me up though. First, I got snowed in for an extra day, so I didn’t get back home until Tuesday night. Second, I made it a couple days or so before I found that, it seems, I brought home something extra. I think I picked up some kind of flu bug or such. Not severe, but with fever, headache and muscle ache enough to made it such that I have not slept real well or gotten much done since last Thursday. I seem to recall eating somewhere that one of the people making/ handling the food had looked/ sounded (coughing, sniffling) like they may not really be healthy enough to be at work. Regardless, I am ready/ well enough to get this offering out. I picked out a special set of material such that my lateness on sending this out should not matter. I have a fair number of each of these (5 plus) so I don’t expect to sell out in a real big hurry. Besides, for all but Campo, I can probably get more with a phone call and a few days wait if I do manage to move what I currently have.

METEORITE “COINS”/ MEDALS:
These are all private mint custom designed and serial numbered “coins”. They are not a “legal tender” item for any place but are well done and have proven popular when I have offered them at shows. Each of these has a design or color picture on the front that is associated with the particular meteorite fall or find the coin is made for. Most of these have a bit more info on the back about the particular meteorite, but some of these (the newer issues) have another color picture instead along with the serial number. The front of each coin has a small recess that contains either a fragment, small individual or (in the case of the Lunar and Martian ones) a bit of dust and crumbs of the meteorite the coin was designed for. A couple of these (the older ones) are a bronze color (and my XRF shows they are indeed bronze – mostly copper and zinc). The newer ones are chrome like (having both polished and brushed areas) but seem to be a nickel bronze alloy (70% Ni, 15%Cu, 15%Zn) according to my XRF (though it is possible the NI is just a plating as Ni is relatively expensive). I’ll try to make note of a few details of each of these.

a) CAMPO DEL CIELO, Argentina: Coarse octahedrite. Found 1576. Total pieces made = 1000.
This is one of my earliest coins. In fact, I think this one is about sold out (I didn’t get anymore from my source when I asked for them). This is one of the brownish actual bronze coins. The front has a die stamped design of some fireballs falling through clouds coming in over a sparsely vegetated plain. The meteorite attached to this side is a small (around 5mm or so) tumbled nugget. I have only 6 of these remaining. - $30

b) CHELYABINSK, Russia: (LL5). Fell February 15, 2013. Total pieces made = 2000.
I know this one may look like it should be “common”. It indeed has the highest “mintage” of anyu of the coins I have had. However, this one turned out to be incredibly popular. I was told that coin dealers were buying these ones up by the many hundreds at a time. The guess is that there are still maybe 200 left for us in the meteorite collecting world at this time. This, obviously, is a newer issue so it is made of the chrome-like nickel alloy. The front has a color picture of the split smoke trail left by the fireball and a small (around 3mm or so) piece of this meteorite in a recess. Most of these are complete individuals but a couple have a broken end (great for those that want to see the lighter interior as well as black crust). The back side has a color picture of a map of the area of the fall. - $75

c) NWA 482: Lunar, impact melt breccia. Found 2000. Tkw = 1015 grams. Total piece made = 250.
This coin (as all of the Lunar and Martians I have) is made from the Ni-rich chrome-like alloy. The front has a picture of the cratered face of the moon (round and has some Mare areas but I don’t think it is of the entire face of the moon). The recess on this side has some powder and fragments of this meteorite (likely left from the original cutting up of this meteorite – I’ve got some of this powder hiding somewhere around here as well). - $75

d) NWA 869: L3-6 regolith breccia. Found 2000. Total pieces made = 1000.
This is one of the older coins I have available. It is of the brownish bronze alloy. The front has a die pressed scene of a fireball over sand dunes camels. The specimen on this is a small (around 1cm) tumble polished fragment of this meteorite. - $30

e) NWA 2968: Martian, Shergottite. Found 2006. Tkw = 268 grams. Total pieces made = 250.
This coin is the Ni-rich, chrome like metal. The front has a picture of a Mars rover bumped up against a rock doing analysis work. This side also has the small recess that has a 1 to 2mm fragment of this meteorite in it. - $75

f) NWA 2995: Lunar feldspathic breccia. Found 2005. Tkw = 538 grams. Total pieces made = 250.
This coin is made with the Ni-rich chrome looking alloy. The front has a color picture showing an astronaut on the moon with a US flag to his right and the Earth “rising” (well, near the horizon anyway as the earth doesn’t rise in view of someone standing on the moon) in the background. This side also has the small recess that contains dust and crumbs of this meteorite. - $75

g) SIKHOTE-ALIN, Russia: Coarsest octahedrite. Fell Feb. 12, 1947. Total pieces made = 1000.
This is one of the newest “coins” for me. It is made with the Ni – rich chrome looking metal. The front has a color picture showing the smoke-trail over roofs of a village in the foreground near the instant of impact. The recess on this side has a small cleaned shrapnel fragment piece of this meteorite. The back side of this coin has a color picture of the map of the area of the fall (well, at a big distance – showing even parts of Japan) to give an idea of just where in the world this fall actually happened. - $35