Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale - List 187 - Estherville, St. Severin and more
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 187
March 15, 2016
BRENHAM, Kansas: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found October 30, 2005.
I must have sold a lot of pieces like this one years ago. It seems that every time I sell one that has come back to me, another appears. Like the others, this was cut from a 69 kilogram all iron specimen that Steve Arnold found on the date listed above. This has one natural edge that is about 50mm long with the remaining edges being saw cut. This is etched on both sides and shows a nice but not super vibrant etch pattern. There are a couple tiny thin brown oxidation lines along a fine crack near the edge (even Gibeon gets those) but they are so fine that I’d risk doing more damage to the piece by trying to mess with them. A good piece that is obviously quite stable, given the environment it was previously stored in.
74.0 gram etched part slice – 50mm x 50mm x 3mm - $120
CAMPO DEL CIELO, Argentina: Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1576.
Here is actually a really nice etched (on both sides) “complete slice”. This does not show a speck of oxidation anywhere! Looking at the edge, I personally think that this was cut from a really large “nugget” – one of those pieces that results from a larger meteorite being broken up after being frozen in liquid nitrogen (gads, I wish I had patented THAT idea when I came up with it to help out a guy that rapidly needed 5000 plus small iron meteorites for a project he contracted for without first checking to see if 5000 of ANY small irons existed at the time – which they didn’t). I have never had a problem with any of those things rusting for some reason, and that seems to be the case with this specimen as well. The etch on this is about as good as these things get – not real clear thanks to the scale of the etch structure but still enough to give the proper idea. This is a perfect piece for a hand or display specimen for someone that needs a truly coarse etch coarse octahedrite.
141.0 gram complete etched slice – 70mm x 50mm x 5mm - $70
ESTHERVILLE, Iowa: Stony-iron (Mesosiderite). Fell May 10, 1879. Tkw = 317 kilograms.
This is actually a “trade in”. I had a 15g piece that I picked up in Tucson but a customer just happened to call shortly after I got home asking if I had a piece of this meteorite. He asked if I would accept a trade in and I said “sure”. This is pretty much a square cut piece that has no natural edges. One edge has a shallow semi-circle indent that is actually from where a core sample for research was removed from the original large specimen. Regardless, this is an aesthetic piece. It has a nice mix of metal and silicates (close to 50/50). This is a thin cut piece that has a good surface area and even passes light (dark emerald green) through several of the silicate crystals.
5.6 gram part slice – 30mm x 26mm x 1mm - $115
NWA (6619): Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3). Found January 2011. Tkw = 3367 grams.
This is an almost complete slice. It has a natural edge around the entire edge except a 50mm straight cut along the bottom. This specimen shows a half dozen or so fairly large chondrules (3mm to 5mm size) and a lot of small chondrules and CAIs in a fairly dark matrix. The official Meteoritical Bulletin description says this has a light gray matrix. I think the issue here is that this particular piece has been quite highly polished (and, as I mentioned on an item on one of the recent lists, this usually darkens a meteorite’s tone substantially). I know that this is “the right stuff” as it does match online pictures of other pieces and comes in a sealed (well, taped shut anyway) display box with the Certificate of Authenticity from Mirko Graul, the person that brought this stone to research. As this is taped, my thickness measurement below is only a good guess.
33.2 gram almost complete slice – 60mm x 47mm x 3mm - $230
NWA (8563) (?): HED achondrite (Eucrite, monomict). Found August 2014. Tkw = 9125 grams.
I put a (?) on the “name” of this one as some quick research indicates that this particular piece is likely NOT from the mass that Mike Farmer bought and had researched under this number. The hand written note that came with this specimen may indicate that it came from the guy he may have gotten his piece from. Even if this is the case, this should have been sold to my friend as “may be paired with” NWA (8563). Regardless, this piece certainly looks like it could be paired based on the description in the Meteoritical Bulletin. This is a complete stone (well, more likely a natural weathered / wind-polished fragment anyway) but it clearly shows that its internal structure is composed of fairly large (cm or two sized) fine-grained eucrite areas separated by black shock veins. Frankly, if this piece were mine (it is a consigned specimen) I’d cut it up as I think this thing would look (and likely sell) great in slices.
367.6 gram natural fragment/ individual – 80mm x 70mm x 40mm - $2000
SAINT SEVERIN, France: Ordinary chondrite (LL6). Fell June 27, 1966. Tkw = 271 kilograms.
I got these two pieces as extras along with a larger specimen that I needed for a lab that wants to do some research on this meteorite. Its been quite a few years since I have had a piece of this material and saw what looked to be some pretty silly high prices when I went about looking for the needed research piece. I managed to find someone that was willing to be reasonable so I got some extras for myself. These are two thin part slices that each has a natural edge (one of the shorter sides on the smaller piece and about 50% of the larger piece) but I wouldn’t call it “crust” (though some super fine secondary crust might be present). Neither of these is much to look at honestly. They have a fairly uniform medium gray color and only some hints of breccia texture (though the smaller piece does have a nice obvious lighter 7mm x 5mm clast in its center). Not beautiful, but rare stuff to come by these days (and these are from an ex Robert Haag specimen so I know they are real)..
a) 4.12 gram part slice – 37mm x 18mm x 2mm - $165
b) 5.23 gram part slice – 40mm x 20mm x 2mm - $210
TAMDAKHT, Morocco: Ordinary chondrite (H5). Fell December 20, 2008. Tkw = about 100 kilograms.
This is the witnessed fall where most of the pieces got broken up hitting rocks high in the Atlas Mountains. This 1/2 end piece (book-end cut) is no exception. Though this has fusion crust covering most of the back -side, most of the edges show fresh breaks. This has a few tiny hints of adhering dirt but no rust so this was an early recovered piece. The large cut face is very light gray (with a 14mm x 8mm lighter yet clast in the center) and shows lots of bright fresh metal. This specimen is in a neat plastic and glass display box that has a built in prop for sitting at an easy viewing angle.
12.8 gram ½ end piece – 36mm x 20mm x 9mm - $50
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale - List 186 - Moon rocks and more
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale - List 186 - Moon rocks and more
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 186
March 1, 2016
Dear collectors,
I realize that I just sent out a list last week. However, that list was actually delayed from when it should have normally gone out; February 16th. No way that could have happened though as I was not even home form the show yet (I didn’t get back until after 9pm on the 18th). It just so happens that the very first day of this month is also the first Tuesday of the month as well my scheduled 1st offering of the month if I am going to have one. So, despite the potential of seeming like I am trying to spam or overload people with new offerings, here is my after Tucson list #2.
CANYON DIABLO, Arizona: Coarse octahedrite. Found 1891.
This is a piece of the oxide shale that some believe actually formed as kind of a fusion crust on the incoming main mass of this fall (which some believe was actually more likely an incoming swarm of pieces of various sizes and not just a single railroad box car or so sized piece). The theory here is that the hot surface of the incoming mass(s) interacted with the oxygen in the atmosphere to form this oxide “crust” that then spalled off. On the other hand (gads, now I am sounding like an economist) most believe that this stuff forms by the simple oxidation of a piece of the iron meteorite in the ground. Regardless, this is a nice solid piece that shows some neat deep cracks (that do not affect the solidness of the piece) on one side, kind of resembling a Rizalite Philippinite. This is from an old collection and comes with an old info label that is full of errors compared to what we know these days (like the fall was 20,000 years ago instead of 50,000, the blast was 1.7 megatons instead of closer to 5 or 10 and the “age” is only 540million years old based on cosmic ray exposure).
61.0 gram solid natural fragment – 45mm x 35mm x 18mm - $12
LIBYAN DESERT GLASS:
This is a nice medium grade piece that I got as part of a collection. It has some fogginess to it but yet is still quite clear when held up to a light. This fogginess is from lots of small gas bubbles that appear to be mostly arranged in layers. The color of the piece is very pale yellow on one end grading to the more typical medium yellow on the other end. The exterior is a nice smooth rounded wind and sand sculpted surface with the exception of one small (10mm x 8mm) more recent fracture on one end. Nothing exceptional but likely priced below replacement cost these days (I am told that no more is being recovered. The area is “off limits” and is also supposedly a military bomb range these days).
46.0 gram individual as found – 55mm x 30mm x 27mm - $70
NWA (6950): Lunar meteorite (gabbro). Found June 2011. Tkw = 1649 grams.
Here is a rectangular part slice. It has a natural exterior along one of its longer edges and cut edges for the remaining three. This piece is quite a bit thicker than those I offered (at a higher price per gram) some months ago. This makes this piece a great specimen for those that want to let people touch/ handle the Moon (thin pieces of lunar gabbro tend to be a bit fragile). The best part of this specimen (aside from its really cheap per gram price) is that it has lots of fine black shock veins crisscrossing its surface (few of my pieces showed this).
17.51 gram part slice – 45mm x 31mm x 4mm - $4500
NWA (7611): Lunar meteorite (mingled breccia). Found May 2012. Tkw = 916 grams.
Here is a piece of a lunar meteorite I have not directly had before, at least by NWA number anyway. However it does look identical (and the Meteoritical Bulletin indicates they are likely paired) to the NWA (8277) I offered recently. Regardless, this is a really nice, large complete slice. Like the NWA (8277), this looks much like a typical anorthositic breccia (light and dark angular to rounded clasts in a darker gray matrix) but it is really composed mostly of basalt though it does indeed contain some anorthositic parts, hence the “mingled” (Mare basalt and Anorthositic highlands) breccia. One side of this has been sanded smooth and is a bit lighter in color. The other side shows fine saw marks (and some thickness change – who ever made that particular cut had difficulty with it) but is much darker on the background and is actually more interesting to look at.
13.73 gram complete slice – 57mm x 53mm x 2mm - $5000
NWA (7466): HED achondrite (eucrite, monomict). Purchased May 2012. Tkw = 1216 grams.
This is a nice complete slice that fusion crust (though somewhat wind-polished) around the entire edge. The interior is bright and fresh. There are lots of fine greenish gray and black mineral grains in a snow- white matrix. Research work showed that this meteorite is a breccia of one type rock (hence the “monomict in its classification) which is medium-grained baslaltic material. Nice piece and priced at about half the price that was originally on the plastic display box this thing is in ($239).
7.99 gram complete slice – 38mm x 36mm x 2mm - $120
NWA (8234): Stony-iron (mesosiderite) – C2. Found 2013. Tkw = 905 grams.
I didn’t think much of this one at first as it had a bit of rusting and some fine cracking on it when it was brought to me in Tucson (the thing was in Ohio and seems to have never been coated). After some minor work hand polishing the thing with super fine sand paper and steel wool, it looks like a mesosiderite should (lots of metal including one 8mm diameter nodule and silicates that range from fine-grained to cm plus clasts). I ran it through some alcohol and solar drying (on the dash of a car on one of the above 80 days we had at the show) and spray coated it. This is a complete slice and the smooth, rounded shape of the edge indicates that this probably has not been on the ground long (there appears to even be some fusion crust yet showing). I got a little more excited about the piece when I researched the thing a little further. I don’t fully understand the new additional “subtypes” in the mesosiderites these days (there seem to be A B and C groups with textural types 1 2 and 3). Regardless, this seems to be one of the really rare ones. It seems that a total of only 5 mesosiderites (including this one) have been classified as C2 (and only a total of 12 as group C overall). Probably should be stored in dry conditions (as any metal-rich meteorite should) but a nice and rare piece none the less.
56.3 gram complete slice – 85mm x 67mm x 3mm - $500
NWA (8277): Lunar meteorite (mingled breccia). Found 2013. Tkw = 773 grams.
Here is a nice super thin slightly wedged slice in a neat little display box (black plastic, glass front and its own built in prop stand). Like the NWA (7611) one side of this is polished and the other still shows fine saw marks (you really have to look to see them on this one). Like the above piece, the unpolished side has a darker background and is, frankly, more interesting (so this is the side I have showing at the moment but it can easily be changed). I can’t explain why these two meteorites are this way. Pretty much everything else I work with comes off the saw with its lightest color and usually its clearest textural differences showing in unaided eye view if not under magnification. Sanding usually quickly darkens the stone and the clarity of the texture starts going away (though it does come back, all be it darker, if you can or are willing to take the polish to a high diamond finish). Anyway, this piece does have the classic lighter clasts in a darker matrix moon rock look. This is a .44g slice that comes with a .1g smaller piece that broke off before I got the thing.
.44g+ slice – 18mm x 16mm x 1mm - $180
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 186
March 1, 2016
Dear collectors,
I realize that I just sent out a list last week. However, that list was actually delayed from when it should have normally gone out; February 16th. No way that could have happened though as I was not even home form the show yet (I didn’t get back until after 9pm on the 18th). It just so happens that the very first day of this month is also the first Tuesday of the month as well my scheduled 1st offering of the month if I am going to have one. So, despite the potential of seeming like I am trying to spam or overload people with new offerings, here is my after Tucson list #2.
CANYON DIABLO, Arizona: Coarse octahedrite. Found 1891.
This is a piece of the oxide shale that some believe actually formed as kind of a fusion crust on the incoming main mass of this fall (which some believe was actually more likely an incoming swarm of pieces of various sizes and not just a single railroad box car or so sized piece). The theory here is that the hot surface of the incoming mass(s) interacted with the oxygen in the atmosphere to form this oxide “crust” that then spalled off. On the other hand (gads, now I am sounding like an economist) most believe that this stuff forms by the simple oxidation of a piece of the iron meteorite in the ground. Regardless, this is a nice solid piece that shows some neat deep cracks (that do not affect the solidness of the piece) on one side, kind of resembling a Rizalite Philippinite. This is from an old collection and comes with an old info label that is full of errors compared to what we know these days (like the fall was 20,000 years ago instead of 50,000, the blast was 1.7 megatons instead of closer to 5 or 10 and the “age” is only 540million years old based on cosmic ray exposure).
61.0 gram solid natural fragment – 45mm x 35mm x 18mm - $12
LIBYAN DESERT GLASS:
This is a nice medium grade piece that I got as part of a collection. It has some fogginess to it but yet is still quite clear when held up to a light. This fogginess is from lots of small gas bubbles that appear to be mostly arranged in layers. The color of the piece is very pale yellow on one end grading to the more typical medium yellow on the other end. The exterior is a nice smooth rounded wind and sand sculpted surface with the exception of one small (10mm x 8mm) more recent fracture on one end. Nothing exceptional but likely priced below replacement cost these days (I am told that no more is being recovered. The area is “off limits” and is also supposedly a military bomb range these days).
46.0 gram individual as found – 55mm x 30mm x 27mm - $70
NWA (6950): Lunar meteorite (gabbro). Found June 2011. Tkw = 1649 grams.
Here is a rectangular part slice. It has a natural exterior along one of its longer edges and cut edges for the remaining three. This piece is quite a bit thicker than those I offered (at a higher price per gram) some months ago. This makes this piece a great specimen for those that want to let people touch/ handle the Moon (thin pieces of lunar gabbro tend to be a bit fragile). The best part of this specimen (aside from its really cheap per gram price) is that it has lots of fine black shock veins crisscrossing its surface (few of my pieces showed this).
17.51 gram part slice – 45mm x 31mm x 4mm - $4500
NWA (7611): Lunar meteorite (mingled breccia). Found May 2012. Tkw = 916 grams.
Here is a piece of a lunar meteorite I have not directly had before, at least by NWA number anyway. However it does look identical (and the Meteoritical Bulletin indicates they are likely paired) to the NWA (8277) I offered recently. Regardless, this is a really nice, large complete slice. Like the NWA (8277), this looks much like a typical anorthositic breccia (light and dark angular to rounded clasts in a darker gray matrix) but it is really composed mostly of basalt though it does indeed contain some anorthositic parts, hence the “mingled” (Mare basalt and Anorthositic highlands) breccia. One side of this has been sanded smooth and is a bit lighter in color. The other side shows fine saw marks (and some thickness change – who ever made that particular cut had difficulty with it) but is much darker on the background and is actually more interesting to look at.
13.73 gram complete slice – 57mm x 53mm x 2mm - $5000
NWA (7466): HED achondrite (eucrite, monomict). Purchased May 2012. Tkw = 1216 grams.
This is a nice complete slice that fusion crust (though somewhat wind-polished) around the entire edge. The interior is bright and fresh. There are lots of fine greenish gray and black mineral grains in a snow- white matrix. Research work showed that this meteorite is a breccia of one type rock (hence the “monomict in its classification) which is medium-grained baslaltic material. Nice piece and priced at about half the price that was originally on the plastic display box this thing is in ($239).
7.99 gram complete slice – 38mm x 36mm x 2mm - $120
NWA (8234): Stony-iron (mesosiderite) – C2. Found 2013. Tkw = 905 grams.
I didn’t think much of this one at first as it had a bit of rusting and some fine cracking on it when it was brought to me in Tucson (the thing was in Ohio and seems to have never been coated). After some minor work hand polishing the thing with super fine sand paper and steel wool, it looks like a mesosiderite should (lots of metal including one 8mm diameter nodule and silicates that range from fine-grained to cm plus clasts). I ran it through some alcohol and solar drying (on the dash of a car on one of the above 80 days we had at the show) and spray coated it. This is a complete slice and the smooth, rounded shape of the edge indicates that this probably has not been on the ground long (there appears to even be some fusion crust yet showing). I got a little more excited about the piece when I researched the thing a little further. I don’t fully understand the new additional “subtypes” in the mesosiderites these days (there seem to be A B and C groups with textural types 1 2 and 3). Regardless, this seems to be one of the really rare ones. It seems that a total of only 5 mesosiderites (including this one) have been classified as C2 (and only a total of 12 as group C overall). Probably should be stored in dry conditions (as any metal-rich meteorite should) but a nice and rare piece none the less.
56.3 gram complete slice – 85mm x 67mm x 3mm - $500
NWA (8277): Lunar meteorite (mingled breccia). Found 2013. Tkw = 773 grams.
Here is a nice super thin slightly wedged slice in a neat little display box (black plastic, glass front and its own built in prop stand). Like the NWA (7611) one side of this is polished and the other still shows fine saw marks (you really have to look to see them on this one). Like the above piece, the unpolished side has a darker background and is, frankly, more interesting (so this is the side I have showing at the moment but it can easily be changed). I can’t explain why these two meteorites are this way. Pretty much everything else I work with comes off the saw with its lightest color and usually its clearest textural differences showing in unaided eye view if not under magnification. Sanding usually quickly darkens the stone and the clarity of the texture starts going away (though it does come back, all be it darker, if you can or are willing to take the polish to a high diamond finish). Anyway, this piece does have the classic lighter clasts in a darker matrix moon rock look. This is a .44g slice that comes with a .1g smaller piece that broke off before I got the thing.
.44g+ slice – 18mm x 16mm x 1mm - $180
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale - List 185 - after Tucson 1
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale - List 185 - after Tucson 1
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 185
February 23, 2016
Dear collectors,
Here is the first of my “after Tucson” offerings. Some of this material are things I picked up through various deals but a fair amount of it is the usual “want to sell it before I have to return it” consignment items.
BRENHAM, Kansas: (Pallasite). Found 1882.
This is a nice almost square little part slice that has one natural edge and shows a good range of color in the olivine crystals. It has been polished and etched on both sides. Nothing exceptional but a good little quite stable (it has been sitting in Ohio for some years and is not falling apart!) collection piece.
30.7 grams part slice – 39mm x 38mm x 4mm - $90
GIBEON, Namibia: Fine octahedrite (IVA). Found 1836.
I sure wish I had a lot of large pieces of this at the show this year. Gibeon seemed to be pretty much the only thing that the few Chinese buyers that did show up wanted/ asked for (last year they would have taken pretty much ANY larger iron if it was cleaned and priced right). This is a piece that I obviously sold to the person yeas ago (or he got it from someone I sold it to) as it has my name and weight sticker on it. This piece is roughly rectangular and has the usual all cut edges (I often had some rusting problems with pieces that showed some natural edge). This piece has remained perfectly rust free and has a good bright etch for Gibeon showing on both sides.
40.6 gram etched part slice – 42mm x 33mm x 3mm - $80
JBILET WINSELWAN: Morocco: Carbonaceous chondrite (CM2). Found May 24, 2013. Tkw = about 6kg.
I am not sure of the total known on this material now but I suspect that it is not all that much greater than the originally reported 6kg or so. This was another meteorite (like Tirhert below) that showed up and quickly disappeared from availability. Anyway, pretty much all of that earlier available material was fragments (which I will be offering some of on a future list, thanks to a deal I got before the show) or individuals. I have seen very few pieces that have been cut to show the classic CM2 interior. This is probably because it is hard to cut this kind of material and not have much of it crumble to some extent. This is a complete slice of a fragment that looks to have crust (though somewhat wind polished) around 50% of the edge.
1.47 gram slice – 16mm x 15mm x 3mm - $50
NWA (7655): Carbonaceous chondrite (CR2). Found before August 2012. Tkw = 250 grams.
Here is a complete slice most likely out of the center of the single stone recovered. In fact, the label on the side of the plastic display box this is in says it is the main mass. This particular meteorite has a bit of a different look to it than what I usually think of for a CR2. This has far fewer armored chondrules than what I usually think of for a CR2. However, this has quite a few metal chondrules and a few strange chondrules and inclusions that have fine metal flakes inside them. Not as visually striking as the usual stuff but then this makes it certain that this is NOT just another NWA (801) pairing (and priced a bit cheaper per gram than I got out of pieces of that material).
15.92 slice – 42mm x 40mm x 3mm - $350 – “main mass”
NWA (8056): HED achondrite (Eucrite), polymict, gabbroic. Found 2013. Tkw = 1560 grams.
Two similar stones were recovered, one weighing 960 grams and the other 600 grams. Research work on pieces of both specimens showed that they were indeed the same material. This meteorite is a fragmental breccia composed mostly of gabbroic eucrite clasts (so, even though it looks very similar visually to my recent NWA (8386) HED this is completely different). This is a nice complete slice that is in a really neat little display box. It is a black plastic frame with a black velvet back ground (looks great for this specimen). What is even better is that this display box has a flip out stand that allows the specimen to sit at an angle for easier viewing.
3.57 gram complete slice – 45mm x 28mm x 1mm - $50
SAHARA (97091): Enstatite chondrite (EH3). Found 1997. Tkw (for this stone anyway) = 6140 grams.
I picked up this specimen with the intentions of breaking it up. I have found it quite difficult to be able to acquire and offer ANYTHING that is a fresh enstatite chondrite for less than around $50/g. This piece being super thin would have allowed me to offer light weight but large surface area slices for affordable amounts of a meteorite that I have seen labeled as one of THE most primitive known. Thankfully I did a little research before carrying on with that plan. It turns out that this slice was cut from the center of the largest EH3 meteorite known. The next closest EH3s in size are a couple down at 2.5kg. Interestingly, there are only 3 EH (anything) existing that are larger than the Sahara 97091 stone that could produce a large EH slice. So, I came close to busting up likely the largest EH3 slice known! Interestingly, this slice has a shape that clearly looks like the profile of a woman. Most people that saw it call it “Queen Nefertiti”. An amazing piece that I will not break up intentionally.
140.4 gram complete slice – 250mm x 140mm x 1mm - $3500
TIRHERT, Morocco: (Eucrite), unbrecciated. Fell July 9, 2014. Tkw = around 8 kilograms.
I remember seeing a few pieces of this available not long after the fall (Denver 2014 fall show maybe). Those pieces were mostly complete individuals that had the most amazingly bright shiny crust I have ever seen on any meteorite. They were fantastic specimens but has a pretty fantastic (ly high) price to go with them – something close to $150/gram I think. I thought at the time that this material would become ever more available and ever cheaper (remember Chelyabinsk? It started at around $300/g right after the fall and dropped to around $25/g by the time I acquired some a few months later). Well, this neat new meteorite was one of the ones that never became really available or really cheap. I honestly don’t recall seeing much, if any, of this fall available after that Denver show and, perhaps, the next Tucson. This piece is a part slice cut from one of the larger pieces recovered. It has the fantastic shiny crust around 50% of the edge. The interior shows a great mix of white plagioclase and greenish brown pyroxene crystals.
8.48 gram part slice – 43mm x 25mm x 3mm - $850
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 185
February 23, 2016
Dear collectors,
Here is the first of my “after Tucson” offerings. Some of this material are things I picked up through various deals but a fair amount of it is the usual “want to sell it before I have to return it” consignment items.
BRENHAM, Kansas: (Pallasite). Found 1882.
This is a nice almost square little part slice that has one natural edge and shows a good range of color in the olivine crystals. It has been polished and etched on both sides. Nothing exceptional but a good little quite stable (it has been sitting in Ohio for some years and is not falling apart!) collection piece.
30.7 grams part slice – 39mm x 38mm x 4mm - $90
GIBEON, Namibia: Fine octahedrite (IVA). Found 1836.
I sure wish I had a lot of large pieces of this at the show this year. Gibeon seemed to be pretty much the only thing that the few Chinese buyers that did show up wanted/ asked for (last year they would have taken pretty much ANY larger iron if it was cleaned and priced right). This is a piece that I obviously sold to the person yeas ago (or he got it from someone I sold it to) as it has my name and weight sticker on it. This piece is roughly rectangular and has the usual all cut edges (I often had some rusting problems with pieces that showed some natural edge). This piece has remained perfectly rust free and has a good bright etch for Gibeon showing on both sides.
40.6 gram etched part slice – 42mm x 33mm x 3mm - $80
JBILET WINSELWAN: Morocco: Carbonaceous chondrite (CM2). Found May 24, 2013. Tkw = about 6kg.
I am not sure of the total known on this material now but I suspect that it is not all that much greater than the originally reported 6kg or so. This was another meteorite (like Tirhert below) that showed up and quickly disappeared from availability. Anyway, pretty much all of that earlier available material was fragments (which I will be offering some of on a future list, thanks to a deal I got before the show) or individuals. I have seen very few pieces that have been cut to show the classic CM2 interior. This is probably because it is hard to cut this kind of material and not have much of it crumble to some extent. This is a complete slice of a fragment that looks to have crust (though somewhat wind polished) around 50% of the edge.
1.47 gram slice – 16mm x 15mm x 3mm - $50
NWA (7655): Carbonaceous chondrite (CR2). Found before August 2012. Tkw = 250 grams.
Here is a complete slice most likely out of the center of the single stone recovered. In fact, the label on the side of the plastic display box this is in says it is the main mass. This particular meteorite has a bit of a different look to it than what I usually think of for a CR2. This has far fewer armored chondrules than what I usually think of for a CR2. However, this has quite a few metal chondrules and a few strange chondrules and inclusions that have fine metal flakes inside them. Not as visually striking as the usual stuff but then this makes it certain that this is NOT just another NWA (801) pairing (and priced a bit cheaper per gram than I got out of pieces of that material).
15.92 slice – 42mm x 40mm x 3mm - $350 – “main mass”
NWA (8056): HED achondrite (Eucrite), polymict, gabbroic. Found 2013. Tkw = 1560 grams.
Two similar stones were recovered, one weighing 960 grams and the other 600 grams. Research work on pieces of both specimens showed that they were indeed the same material. This meteorite is a fragmental breccia composed mostly of gabbroic eucrite clasts (so, even though it looks very similar visually to my recent NWA (8386) HED this is completely different). This is a nice complete slice that is in a really neat little display box. It is a black plastic frame with a black velvet back ground (looks great for this specimen). What is even better is that this display box has a flip out stand that allows the specimen to sit at an angle for easier viewing.
3.57 gram complete slice – 45mm x 28mm x 1mm - $50
SAHARA (97091): Enstatite chondrite (EH3). Found 1997. Tkw (for this stone anyway) = 6140 grams.
I picked up this specimen with the intentions of breaking it up. I have found it quite difficult to be able to acquire and offer ANYTHING that is a fresh enstatite chondrite for less than around $50/g. This piece being super thin would have allowed me to offer light weight but large surface area slices for affordable amounts of a meteorite that I have seen labeled as one of THE most primitive known. Thankfully I did a little research before carrying on with that plan. It turns out that this slice was cut from the center of the largest EH3 meteorite known. The next closest EH3s in size are a couple down at 2.5kg. Interestingly, there are only 3 EH (anything) existing that are larger than the Sahara 97091 stone that could produce a large EH slice. So, I came close to busting up likely the largest EH3 slice known! Interestingly, this slice has a shape that clearly looks like the profile of a woman. Most people that saw it call it “Queen Nefertiti”. An amazing piece that I will not break up intentionally.
140.4 gram complete slice – 250mm x 140mm x 1mm - $3500
TIRHERT, Morocco: (Eucrite), unbrecciated. Fell July 9, 2014. Tkw = around 8 kilograms.
I remember seeing a few pieces of this available not long after the fall (Denver 2014 fall show maybe). Those pieces were mostly complete individuals that had the most amazingly bright shiny crust I have ever seen on any meteorite. They were fantastic specimens but has a pretty fantastic (ly high) price to go with them – something close to $150/gram I think. I thought at the time that this material would become ever more available and ever cheaper (remember Chelyabinsk? It started at around $300/g right after the fall and dropped to around $25/g by the time I acquired some a few months later). Well, this neat new meteorite was one of the ones that never became really available or really cheap. I honestly don’t recall seeing much, if any, of this fall available after that Denver show and, perhaps, the next Tucson. This piece is a part slice cut from one of the larger pieces recovered. It has the fantastic shiny crust around 50% of the edge. The interior shows a great mix of white plagioclase and greenish brown pyroxene crystals.
8.48 gram part slice – 43mm x 25mm x 3mm - $850
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale- List 184 - new mailed list
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale- List 184 - new mailed list
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 184
January 13, 2016
Dear collectors,
Happy New Year! Here is the e-mail version of my mailed catalog that I just started getting calls on yesterday afternoon.
TUCSON SHOW INFO: For the far too rapidly approaching Tucson show I will be on the road from January 27th until around February 18th or 19th (depending upon weather and time taken visiting friends and family on the way home). For the show itself, I will be in my usual spot: Ramada Limited (665 N. Freeway, Tucson) room 134. I should be open by mid to late morning Saturday January 30th. I likely will indeed stay through the bitter end – February 13th will be the last day. I open the door most days at 10AM. I will have the door open most evenings until around 9:30pm or so (or later if people are visiting/ still wandering about) but there may be a couple nights I will be out for dinner or such but that should be rare.
SEYMCHAN, Russia. (Pallasite). Found 1967.
Well, these pieces are actually really nice etched large slices of the more common all iron portion of this meteorite. I got these on consignment last Tucson and will likely return the unsold pieces back to their owner (from overseas) this Tucson. I have sold a few pieces the past year but had enough to offer here. I realize that most of these are out of the reach of most collectors but I thought I’d offer the opportunity none the less. It seems that the prices on these slices goes up every year. I would not be surprised to find that the owners new year’s price is higher than I am asking here (yep, it has happened a couple times already). These are all really nice deep etched display, museum quality (yep, I did sell one to a museum this past summer) slices. Many are complete slices but some have one cut edge (but I picked pieces to be aesthetic none the less). I’ll make note of which are complete and which have a cut edge below. My favorite piece is the largest as it looks like the mouth/ face of a monster (or a toothy letter “C”). There is even a graphite nodule that is perfectly placed to be an eye. Next is the 1610g slice. It has a number of interesting natural holes – including one oval one that is 45mm x 30mm.
1) Deep etched slices and part slices:
a) 590grams - 230mm x 140mm x 3mm - $700 – complete slice.
b) 715 grams - 265mm x 120mm x 3mm - $840 – complete slice.
c) 1610 grams - 420mm x 200mm x 3mm - $1850 – complete slice.
d) 1868 grams - 400mm x 230mm x 3mm - $2100 – one cut edge.
e) 3875 grams - 450mm x 320mm x 4mm - $4300 – complete slice.
CHERGACH, Mali: Ordinary chondrite. (H5). Fell summer 2007. Tkw = about 100 kilograms.
Here are some specimens that I run into every year while doing inventory work and seem to always put them back in the box and put them back on the shelf. I’ve decided to bring them out and offer them now. These are pieces I set aside over the years when I was able to buy this stuff (at least affordably) as being generally nicer pieces. They do have some minor broken areas, areas of secondary crust but all are distinctly complete individuals (a lot of what of what I got from this fall were distinctly fragments). These are all early recoveries showing no rust and nice black crust. This is probably the cheapest nice black crusted stone I have or can get right now.
1) Individuals as found:
a) 2.9 grams - 15mm x 11mm x 10mm - $17
b) 5.6 grams - 17mm x 12mm x 10mm - $33
c) 16.0 grams - 25mm x 13mm x 13mm - $72
d) 26.0 grams - 30mm x 22mm x 14mm - $115
e) 34.1 grams - 45mm x 20mm x 15mm - $150
f) 57.4 grams - 39mm x 37mm x 21mm - $250
g) 70.1 grams - 48mm x 33mm x 24mm - $300
NWA (7336): Ordinary chondrite (L6), S3, W3. Found before February 2012. Tkw = about 18 kilograms.
I bought a bag of “ugly” scraps in Tucson 4 years ago. There was one large chunk (around 9kg) and a bunch of smaller pieces (many of which fit together or on the large piece). I had the large piece cut open (to big for my equipment) and realized that the stuff doesn’t look bad inside. It has a medium to dark brown color. Some chondrules (but not many) are visible as well as some metal and troilite. Nothing exciting but great if you want a cheap hand specimen (or large display piece) for very little money. I have something similar bouncing around my car to show people what a commonly found meteorite (in a pretty commonly found weathering condition) looks like.
1) Cut fragments:
a) 19.9 grams - 37mm x 20mm x 16mm - $10
b) 38.9 grams - 60mm x 35mm x 12mm - $20
c) 74.8 grams - 65mm x 45mm x 15mm - $35
d) 153.8 grams - 90mm x 45mm x 18mm - $70
e) 525.9 grams - 130mm x 100mm x 20mm - $210
f) 4913 grams - 240mm x 200mm x 50mm - $1475 – Main mass. Nice display piece.
NWA (7673): Ordinary chondrite (L3), S2, W1. Purchased December 2012. Tkw = 189 grams.
Here is a wonderful little main mass of a fresh type 3. Data I was given says that this is an L3.7 but (as mentioned below) you pretty much can’t get sub-typing done and reported anymore. Regardless, the cut face on this (30mm x 25mm) shows lots of chondrules, many of which are surrounded by metal and sulfides, and plenty of fresh metal in a mottled light gray and tan matrix. The exterior is mostly nice primary crust (lightly wind polished but retains full crust texture) with only one 25mm x 18mm clearly old broken area (on impact likely). This has a great classic sculpted, rounded corners and edges meteorite shape. Wish I had a dozen more like this!
167.2 gram main mass – 60mm x 40mm x 35mm – sold. I wasn’t joking when I said I wish I had a dozen of these, I could have sold 6 already.
NWA (7031): Ordinary chondrite (LL3), S2, W0. Found before July 2011. Tkw = 1200 grams.
This is one I had set aside waiting for more research work/ data. The original thoughts of the folks that worked on this is that it is likely paired to the strange “anomalous 3.05” NWA (5717). And they still think this is quite possible, actually. This was a fresh stone showing nice black crust (now present along at least part of the edges of most of these slices). It has the same many metal/ sulfide rimmed chondrules in a very sparse black matrix. This also has much less metal and smaller chondrules than typical LL’s (as is the case in NWA 5717). I have handled pieces of NWA (5717) and I can say that this does indeed look VERY similar. This has lighter and darker zones as well but in this case they don’t look as clearly like clasts of different material as in (5717). Again, I had hoped that more work would get done to sort this out. I thought oxygen isotopes were going to be run on it. I had also hoped for official sub-typing (I had a piece casually analyzed and it came back as no worse than a 3.2). After some years of waiting and now recent changes in Meteoritical Society Nomenclature Committee rules on officially sub-typing (now made so as to be nearly impossible to acquire) I have decided to offer this now. I can’t say for certain that it is the same as NWA (5717), but it sure is a good knock-off if not.
1) Slices:
a) 1.0 grams - 15mm x 11mm x 2mm - $25
b) 2.1 grams - 20mm x 18mm x 2mm - $50
c) 5.2 grams - 35mm x 25mm x 2mm - $120
d) 10.4 grams - 47mm x 35mm x 2mm - $225
e) 22.3 grams - 70mm x 52mm x 2mm - $400 – complete slice.
NWA (8739): HED achondrite (eucrite, polymict). Found before September 2013. Tkw = 126.2 grams.
This was a nice quite fresh little bread-loaf of a stone I picked up a couple years ago at the Denver show. It was pretty much complete with nice primary crust over most (75 to 80% maybe) of its exterior with the remainder being secondary crust. The best part was its shape – a nice long specimen that I knew would cut up into a bunch of nice little complete slices (the smallest here are not complete though). Rather than risk screwing this job up with my equipment, I had Marlin in Montana knock it out with a wire saw. Though this looked like a howardite on cut surfaces (it has scattered clasts up to a cm in size) but research showed it to be an unequilibrated polymict (contains several different rock types/ textures) basaltic eucrite breccia that is very similar in texture and composition to the famous (and very expensive) Pasamonte, New Mexico eucrite.
1) Slices:
a) 1.7 grams - 26mm x 13mm x 2mm - $25
b) 3.0 grams - 31mm x 20mm x 2mm - $42 – complete slice.
c) 5.4 grams - 35mm x 30mm x 2mm - $70 – complete slice.
STREAK PLATES:
I forgot I had these and re-discovered them while tearing apart the office while doing inventory work. Every show I end up flipping over the toilet tank lid to show someone that their gray/black heavy rock is magnetite or hematite. With these little gems you don’t have to carry around a toilet tank lid. These are small (50mm x 24mm x 5mm) rectangles of unglazed porcelain that are easy to carry wherever you go. Not that you should be looking for quasi shiny gray black rocks when out looking for meteorites but one of these would certainly tell you quickly if you have hematite (red brown, purplish red streak) or magnetite (heavy black streak) or make it easy to show others. These will also work for pyrite “fools gold” which leaves a greenish gray streak where as REAL gold would leave a bright gold streak.
Roughly 2” x 1” x ¼” streak plate - $2.00
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
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………LIST 184
January 13, 2016
Dear collectors,
Happy New Year! Here is the e-mail version of my mailed catalog that I just started getting calls on yesterday afternoon.
TUCSON SHOW INFO: For the far too rapidly approaching Tucson show I will be on the road from January 27th until around February 18th or 19th (depending upon weather and time taken visiting friends and family on the way home). For the show itself, I will be in my usual spot: Ramada Limited (665 N. Freeway, Tucson) room 134. I should be open by mid to late morning Saturday January 30th. I likely will indeed stay through the bitter end – February 13th will be the last day. I open the door most days at 10AM. I will have the door open most evenings until around 9:30pm or so (or later if people are visiting/ still wandering about) but there may be a couple nights I will be out for dinner or such but that should be rare.
SEYMCHAN, Russia. (Pallasite). Found 1967.
Well, these pieces are actually really nice etched large slices of the more common all iron portion of this meteorite. I got these on consignment last Tucson and will likely return the unsold pieces back to their owner (from overseas) this Tucson. I have sold a few pieces the past year but had enough to offer here. I realize that most of these are out of the reach of most collectors but I thought I’d offer the opportunity none the less. It seems that the prices on these slices goes up every year. I would not be surprised to find that the owners new year’s price is higher than I am asking here (yep, it has happened a couple times already). These are all really nice deep etched display, museum quality (yep, I did sell one to a museum this past summer) slices. Many are complete slices but some have one cut edge (but I picked pieces to be aesthetic none the less). I’ll make note of which are complete and which have a cut edge below. My favorite piece is the largest as it looks like the mouth/ face of a monster (or a toothy letter “C”). There is even a graphite nodule that is perfectly placed to be an eye. Next is the 1610g slice. It has a number of interesting natural holes – including one oval one that is 45mm x 30mm.
1) Deep etched slices and part slices:
a) 590grams - 230mm x 140mm x 3mm - $700 – complete slice.
b) 715 grams - 265mm x 120mm x 3mm - $840 – complete slice.
c) 1610 grams - 420mm x 200mm x 3mm - $1850 – complete slice.
d) 1868 grams - 400mm x 230mm x 3mm - $2100 – one cut edge.
e) 3875 grams - 450mm x 320mm x 4mm - $4300 – complete slice.
CHERGACH, Mali: Ordinary chondrite. (H5). Fell summer 2007. Tkw = about 100 kilograms.
Here are some specimens that I run into every year while doing inventory work and seem to always put them back in the box and put them back on the shelf. I’ve decided to bring them out and offer them now. These are pieces I set aside over the years when I was able to buy this stuff (at least affordably) as being generally nicer pieces. They do have some minor broken areas, areas of secondary crust but all are distinctly complete individuals (a lot of what of what I got from this fall were distinctly fragments). These are all early recoveries showing no rust and nice black crust. This is probably the cheapest nice black crusted stone I have or can get right now.
1) Individuals as found:
a) 2.9 grams - 15mm x 11mm x 10mm - $17
b) 5.6 grams - 17mm x 12mm x 10mm - $33
c) 16.0 grams - 25mm x 13mm x 13mm - $72
d) 26.0 grams - 30mm x 22mm x 14mm - $115
e) 34.1 grams - 45mm x 20mm x 15mm - $150
f) 57.4 grams - 39mm x 37mm x 21mm - $250
g) 70.1 grams - 48mm x 33mm x 24mm - $300
NWA (7336): Ordinary chondrite (L6), S3, W3. Found before February 2012. Tkw = about 18 kilograms.
I bought a bag of “ugly” scraps in Tucson 4 years ago. There was one large chunk (around 9kg) and a bunch of smaller pieces (many of which fit together or on the large piece). I had the large piece cut open (to big for my equipment) and realized that the stuff doesn’t look bad inside. It has a medium to dark brown color. Some chondrules (but not many) are visible as well as some metal and troilite. Nothing exciting but great if you want a cheap hand specimen (or large display piece) for very little money. I have something similar bouncing around my car to show people what a commonly found meteorite (in a pretty commonly found weathering condition) looks like.
1) Cut fragments:
a) 19.9 grams - 37mm x 20mm x 16mm - $10
b) 38.9 grams - 60mm x 35mm x 12mm - $20
c) 74.8 grams - 65mm x 45mm x 15mm - $35
d) 153.8 grams - 90mm x 45mm x 18mm - $70
e) 525.9 grams - 130mm x 100mm x 20mm - $210
f) 4913 grams - 240mm x 200mm x 50mm - $1475 – Main mass. Nice display piece.
NWA (7673): Ordinary chondrite (L3), S2, W1. Purchased December 2012. Tkw = 189 grams.
Here is a wonderful little main mass of a fresh type 3. Data I was given says that this is an L3.7 but (as mentioned below) you pretty much can’t get sub-typing done and reported anymore. Regardless, the cut face on this (30mm x 25mm) shows lots of chondrules, many of which are surrounded by metal and sulfides, and plenty of fresh metal in a mottled light gray and tan matrix. The exterior is mostly nice primary crust (lightly wind polished but retains full crust texture) with only one 25mm x 18mm clearly old broken area (on impact likely). This has a great classic sculpted, rounded corners and edges meteorite shape. Wish I had a dozen more like this!
167.2 gram main mass – 60mm x 40mm x 35mm – sold. I wasn’t joking when I said I wish I had a dozen of these, I could have sold 6 already.
NWA (7031): Ordinary chondrite (LL3), S2, W0. Found before July 2011. Tkw = 1200 grams.
This is one I had set aside waiting for more research work/ data. The original thoughts of the folks that worked on this is that it is likely paired to the strange “anomalous 3.05” NWA (5717). And they still think this is quite possible, actually. This was a fresh stone showing nice black crust (now present along at least part of the edges of most of these slices). It has the same many metal/ sulfide rimmed chondrules in a very sparse black matrix. This also has much less metal and smaller chondrules than typical LL’s (as is the case in NWA 5717). I have handled pieces of NWA (5717) and I can say that this does indeed look VERY similar. This has lighter and darker zones as well but in this case they don’t look as clearly like clasts of different material as in (5717). Again, I had hoped that more work would get done to sort this out. I thought oxygen isotopes were going to be run on it. I had also hoped for official sub-typing (I had a piece casually analyzed and it came back as no worse than a 3.2). After some years of waiting and now recent changes in Meteoritical Society Nomenclature Committee rules on officially sub-typing (now made so as to be nearly impossible to acquire) I have decided to offer this now. I can’t say for certain that it is the same as NWA (5717), but it sure is a good knock-off if not.
1) Slices:
a) 1.0 grams - 15mm x 11mm x 2mm - $25
b) 2.1 grams - 20mm x 18mm x 2mm - $50
c) 5.2 grams - 35mm x 25mm x 2mm - $120
d) 10.4 grams - 47mm x 35mm x 2mm - $225
e) 22.3 grams - 70mm x 52mm x 2mm - $400 – complete slice.
NWA (8739): HED achondrite (eucrite, polymict). Found before September 2013. Tkw = 126.2 grams.
This was a nice quite fresh little bread-loaf of a stone I picked up a couple years ago at the Denver show. It was pretty much complete with nice primary crust over most (75 to 80% maybe) of its exterior with the remainder being secondary crust. The best part was its shape – a nice long specimen that I knew would cut up into a bunch of nice little complete slices (the smallest here are not complete though). Rather than risk screwing this job up with my equipment, I had Marlin in Montana knock it out with a wire saw. Though this looked like a howardite on cut surfaces (it has scattered clasts up to a cm in size) but research showed it to be an unequilibrated polymict (contains several different rock types/ textures) basaltic eucrite breccia that is very similar in texture and composition to the famous (and very expensive) Pasamonte, New Mexico eucrite.
1) Slices:
a) 1.7 grams - 26mm x 13mm x 2mm - $25
b) 3.0 grams - 31mm x 20mm x 2mm - $42 – complete slice.
c) 5.4 grams - 35mm x 30mm x 2mm - $70 – complete slice.
STREAK PLATES:
I forgot I had these and re-discovered them while tearing apart the office while doing inventory work. Every show I end up flipping over the toilet tank lid to show someone that their gray/black heavy rock is magnetite or hematite. With these little gems you don’t have to carry around a toilet tank lid. These are small (50mm x 24mm x 5mm) rectangles of unglazed porcelain that are easy to carry wherever you go. Not that you should be looking for quasi shiny gray black rocks when out looking for meteorites but one of these would certainly tell you quickly if you have hematite (red brown, purplish red streak) or magnetite (heavy black streak) or make it easy to show others. These will also work for pyrite “fools gold” which leaves a greenish gray streak where as REAL gold would leave a bright gold streak.
Roughly 2” x 1” x ¼” streak plate - $2.00
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
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 183 - Pena Blanca and more
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 183 - Pena Blanca and more
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………..LIST 183
December 29, 2015
Dear collectors,
Here is a short offering for the end of the year.
BRENHAM, Kansas: (Pallasite). Found October 30, 2005.
I know, the real reported find date for this meteorite is 1882 but this particular piece is an etched slice that was cut from a 69kg all iron individual that was found on the date listed above. The info card with it (which is one I made – this piece was sold be me at some point in the past and now came back as part of a small collection lot) says that this was found on the Allen and Mary Binford farm and gives the precise GPS coordinates for the find spot (so, one could probably visit the hole that this was pulled out of if one was so inclined). This is a typical part slice that is roughly square in shape. It has three cut edges and one natural edge.
74.1 gram etched part slice – 50mm x 50mm x 4mm - $130
PENA BLANCA SPRING, Texas: Enstatite achondrite (Aubrite). Fell August 2, 1946. Tkw = 70.4kg.
This is the famous meteorite that managed to land directly in a small natural pond. The fall was witnessed to some degree by a couple dozen people. A cook at a near by ranch house saw the stone break branches of a tree it passed through and then its impact into the pond. A couple ranch hands driving by the pond in a truck heard a load explosion and then had their truck splashed with water and plant debris. Later work to lower the level of the water in the pond allowed the recovery of several large fragments of this interesting and rare meteorite. These pieces are nice small to medium part slices that all show at least some of the fantastic breccia texture displayed by this meteorite (I personally like the 5.3g piece best myself as it shows a neat slightly darker 20mm x 12mm clast), but they are all nice. I have always loved the look (and rarity) of this stuff. It has been quite a long while since I have had pieces of this beautiful material.
1) Part slices:
a) .79 grams – 14mm x 8mm x 4mm - $65
b) 1.25 grams – 17mm x 8mm x 4mm - $100
c) 2.47 grams – 21mm x 19mm x 3mm - $190
d) 5.30 grams – 26mm x 26mm x 3mm - $400
e) 15.36 grams – 50mm x 33mm x 3.5mm - $1100
SACRAMENTO WASH (005), Arizona. Iron (ungrouped, troilite rich). Found 2004.
I have heard of and seen some pieces of this over the years but I have never had any pieces to sell. This is reported in the bulletin as a separate meteorite but I don’t know if it has ever been fully sorted out if these are really just chunks of iron that separated out from pieces of the Frankonia stone meteorite. This metal is chemically H-type metal (which is the type meteorite Frankonia is which did indeed have some fairly large metal pieces in it). However, attached h-type silicates have not been found attached to these iron pieces and some clearly showed fusion crust (and most pieces have an atmospherically sculpted shape). Regardless, this material is reported as a new/ separate meteorite and very little/ few pieces have been available.
a) .41 gram individual – 15mm x 7mm x 1mm - $20
b) 1.07 gram individual – 9mm x 8mm x 5mm - $40 – this one is in a membrane box and comes with a L. Atkins collection label.
SPRINGWATER, Canada: (Pallasite). Found 1931.
Here is a fantastic, beautiful thin complete slice. This is cut thin enough that many of the crystals pass light (not so easy to get in this meteorite due to its generally smaller olivine crystal size). This piece has NOT been through the “special rust treatment” I mentioned on the small pieces listed earlier. This is partly because to do so would risk having the thing break apart in the process but mostly because this piece has shown itself over the past 3.5 years or so to be stable on its own already. It was stored/ displayed with out any special care in a fairly humid environment (West Virginia) and has held up beautifully. Another really neat feature of this large slice is that its Ferringtonite inclusions, a VERY rare magnesium Phosphate mineral that seems to be only known from meteorites. One is bright, obvious and is about 10mm x 30mm. There are several others that are darker near the edges of the slice. A few other pallasites are noted for having some of this mineral discovered in them but Springwater has by far the best and is the “type locality” for the stuff. I know a few mineral collectors who would probably like me to break this thing apart so they can add a piece of this odd mineral to their collections. I have pictures of this piece in the computer ready to send to those interested.
a) 306.4 gram complete slice – 280mm x 150mm x 2mm - $5500 – has several Ferrigtonite inclusions.
TOLUCA, Mexico: Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1776.
This is a bag of fragments of both oxide and metal (more metal than oxide I think). Some of the larger pieces (thumb-nail sized plus) are metal and have a polished and etched face.
14.5 grams of metal and oxide fragments - $7
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………..LIST 183
December 29, 2015
Dear collectors,
Here is a short offering for the end of the year.
BRENHAM, Kansas: (Pallasite). Found October 30, 2005.
I know, the real reported find date for this meteorite is 1882 but this particular piece is an etched slice that was cut from a 69kg all iron individual that was found on the date listed above. The info card with it (which is one I made – this piece was sold be me at some point in the past and now came back as part of a small collection lot) says that this was found on the Allen and Mary Binford farm and gives the precise GPS coordinates for the find spot (so, one could probably visit the hole that this was pulled out of if one was so inclined). This is a typical part slice that is roughly square in shape. It has three cut edges and one natural edge.
74.1 gram etched part slice – 50mm x 50mm x 4mm - $130
PENA BLANCA SPRING, Texas: Enstatite achondrite (Aubrite). Fell August 2, 1946. Tkw = 70.4kg.
This is the famous meteorite that managed to land directly in a small natural pond. The fall was witnessed to some degree by a couple dozen people. A cook at a near by ranch house saw the stone break branches of a tree it passed through and then its impact into the pond. A couple ranch hands driving by the pond in a truck heard a load explosion and then had their truck splashed with water and plant debris. Later work to lower the level of the water in the pond allowed the recovery of several large fragments of this interesting and rare meteorite. These pieces are nice small to medium part slices that all show at least some of the fantastic breccia texture displayed by this meteorite (I personally like the 5.3g piece best myself as it shows a neat slightly darker 20mm x 12mm clast), but they are all nice. I have always loved the look (and rarity) of this stuff. It has been quite a long while since I have had pieces of this beautiful material.
1) Part slices:
a) .79 grams – 14mm x 8mm x 4mm - $65
b) 1.25 grams – 17mm x 8mm x 4mm - $100
c) 2.47 grams – 21mm x 19mm x 3mm - $190
d) 5.30 grams – 26mm x 26mm x 3mm - $400
e) 15.36 grams – 50mm x 33mm x 3.5mm - $1100
SACRAMENTO WASH (005), Arizona. Iron (ungrouped, troilite rich). Found 2004.
I have heard of and seen some pieces of this over the years but I have never had any pieces to sell. This is reported in the bulletin as a separate meteorite but I don’t know if it has ever been fully sorted out if these are really just chunks of iron that separated out from pieces of the Frankonia stone meteorite. This metal is chemically H-type metal (which is the type meteorite Frankonia is which did indeed have some fairly large metal pieces in it). However, attached h-type silicates have not been found attached to these iron pieces and some clearly showed fusion crust (and most pieces have an atmospherically sculpted shape). Regardless, this material is reported as a new/ separate meteorite and very little/ few pieces have been available.
a) .41 gram individual – 15mm x 7mm x 1mm - $20
b) 1.07 gram individual – 9mm x 8mm x 5mm - $40 – this one is in a membrane box and comes with a L. Atkins collection label.
SPRINGWATER, Canada: (Pallasite). Found 1931.
Here is a fantastic, beautiful thin complete slice. This is cut thin enough that many of the crystals pass light (not so easy to get in this meteorite due to its generally smaller olivine crystal size). This piece has NOT been through the “special rust treatment” I mentioned on the small pieces listed earlier. This is partly because to do so would risk having the thing break apart in the process but mostly because this piece has shown itself over the past 3.5 years or so to be stable on its own already. It was stored/ displayed with out any special care in a fairly humid environment (West Virginia) and has held up beautifully. Another really neat feature of this large slice is that its Ferringtonite inclusions, a VERY rare magnesium Phosphate mineral that seems to be only known from meteorites. One is bright, obvious and is about 10mm x 30mm. There are several others that are darker near the edges of the slice. A few other pallasites are noted for having some of this mineral discovered in them but Springwater has by far the best and is the “type locality” for the stuff. I know a few mineral collectors who would probably like me to break this thing apart so they can add a piece of this odd mineral to their collections. I have pictures of this piece in the computer ready to send to those interested.
a) 306.4 gram complete slice – 280mm x 150mm x 2mm - $5500 – has several Ferrigtonite inclusions.
TOLUCA, Mexico: Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1776.
This is a bag of fragments of both oxide and metal (more metal than oxide I think). Some of the larger pieces (thumb-nail sized plus) are metal and have a polished and etched face.
14.5 grams of metal and oxide fragments - $7
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale- List 182 - Springwater and more
Blaine Reed Meteorites for Sale- List 182 - Springwater and more
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………..LIST 182
December 8, 2015
Dear collectors,
Here is another quickly put together offering. I had hoped to have my inventory work done (that wonderful fun week long job of opening every box, bin and container, weighing and recording everything in it) by now so I could offer up a “want to get rid of the last piece or two before year end” sale/ offering. Unfortunately I have been far to busy with projects to even get started yet (hence this offering of “new” stuff now). I am trying to finish up installing a second solar electric panel array (one using some of the many panels I picked up a few years ago during the Solyndra bankruptcy sale). It is taking longer than I expected (lots of small details that need to be dealt with) and I MUST have it done before the end of the month (plus I have some travel that also must be done before the end of the month). Anyway, I do hope to have a year end “remove it from inventory sale” later but I am not certain I can pull it together. Anyway, enjoy this small offering in the meantime.
ALBIN, Wyoming: (Pallasite). Found 1915. Tkw = 40+ kilograms.
This is a thin slice that has a large 15mm x 10mm clear olivine crystal. The remainder is mostly metal but it does contain a good number of small (2 or 3mm) olivine crystals (also quite clear).
1.6 gram slice – 18mm x 14mm x 2mm - SOLD
HOLBROOK, Arizona; (L/LL6). Fell July 19, 1912.
Here are two pieces: one an end piece (kind of unusual for this meteorite) that is likely a more recent recovery and a really fresh individual. The end piece has a fair amount of brown showing in the interior. The crust is still black but does show some brown spotting. The individual looks certainly to be an early after the fall recovery. The crust (around 90% coverage) is fresh and black. The interior is bright white.
a) 1.22 gram end piece – 13mm x 9mm 4mm - $30
b) 2.4 gram fresh individual – 12mm x 12mm x 10mm - $60
NWA (2822): Rumurutiite. (R4), polymict breccia. Found 2005. Tkw = 1675 grams.
This is a nice part slice that looks like a complete slice (one edge is broken but has a natural look to it). It has a nice light to medium brown/ orange color to it. This particular piece also clearly shows the “polymict” (having piece of different type material) part of its classification> there are quite a few odd clasts scattered throughout the piece (in addition to lots of chondrules). However, there are two large clasts that are definitely different. One about 5mm x 10mm is a light colored clasts along one edge that shows no chindrules of any kind. The other (about 10mm x 10mm) is really dark. This one even has a clast within a clast – the center is a 4mm x 3mm black (carbonaceous?) clast. The remainder/ surrounding material is very dark, shows chondrules but is much higher in troilite (these rare meteorites don not show fresh iron) than the matrix.
17.3 gram slice – 60mm x 43mm x 2.5mm - $250
NWA (8302): Iron. Hexagedrite (IIAB). Found before 2010. Tkw = 22.4 kilograms.
I offered pieces of this on a list back in May of 2014. They all rapidly sold. I had forgotten that I had several specimens of different meteorites from that mailed offering set aside for a customer who never came back for them. Of those, it turned out that this is the only one that I had absolutely no other pieces of. The others just went back into the bags that contained the other pieces still in inventory. So, rather than re-make an inventory bag (the type you’d find in my miscellaneous bucket at shows) I’d just rather offer this here. It is a nice part slice that has one natural edge (one of the long sides) with the rest cut. It has been has been etched and does show some Nuemann lines, though they are faint (not atypical in this type meteorite).
17.0 gram etched part slice – 28mm x 21mm x 4mm - $40
SPRINGWATER, Canada: (Pallasite). Found 1931.
Well, these pieces were really found around 2008 or so when a few well known meteorite guys went into the area and spent a bunch of time re-locating the strewn field. These are from a larger thicker slice that was broken up to make nice natural looking slices (these do indeed look like complete slices) for collectors. I asked for such as I had long since sold out of small pieces of this meteorite I had earlier. I should also say that these particular pieces have been run through a special stabilization process developed and run quite successfully (even on pieces of Admire!!!) by KD meteorites so they should hold up long term.
Slices:
a) 5.8 grams – 22mm x 20mm x 4mm - $105
b) 9.3 grams – 28mm x 20mm x 4mm - $167
c) 13.6 grams – 30mm x 25mm x 4mm - $245
d) 29.6 grams – 55mm x 35mm x 4mm - $500
e) 69.0 grams – 83mm x 40mm x 5mm - $1100
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………..LIST 182
December 8, 2015
Dear collectors,
Here is another quickly put together offering. I had hoped to have my inventory work done (that wonderful fun week long job of opening every box, bin and container, weighing and recording everything in it) by now so I could offer up a “want to get rid of the last piece or two before year end” sale/ offering. Unfortunately I have been far to busy with projects to even get started yet (hence this offering of “new” stuff now). I am trying to finish up installing a second solar electric panel array (one using some of the many panels I picked up a few years ago during the Solyndra bankruptcy sale). It is taking longer than I expected (lots of small details that need to be dealt with) and I MUST have it done before the end of the month (plus I have some travel that also must be done before the end of the month). Anyway, I do hope to have a year end “remove it from inventory sale” later but I am not certain I can pull it together. Anyway, enjoy this small offering in the meantime.
ALBIN, Wyoming: (Pallasite). Found 1915. Tkw = 40+ kilograms.
This is a thin slice that has a large 15mm x 10mm clear olivine crystal. The remainder is mostly metal but it does contain a good number of small (2 or 3mm) olivine crystals (also quite clear).
1.6 gram slice – 18mm x 14mm x 2mm - SOLD
HOLBROOK, Arizona; (L/LL6). Fell July 19, 1912.
Here are two pieces: one an end piece (kind of unusual for this meteorite) that is likely a more recent recovery and a really fresh individual. The end piece has a fair amount of brown showing in the interior. The crust is still black but does show some brown spotting. The individual looks certainly to be an early after the fall recovery. The crust (around 90% coverage) is fresh and black. The interior is bright white.
a) 1.22 gram end piece – 13mm x 9mm 4mm - $30
b) 2.4 gram fresh individual – 12mm x 12mm x 10mm - $60
NWA (2822): Rumurutiite. (R4), polymict breccia. Found 2005. Tkw = 1675 grams.
This is a nice part slice that looks like a complete slice (one edge is broken but has a natural look to it). It has a nice light to medium brown/ orange color to it. This particular piece also clearly shows the “polymict” (having piece of different type material) part of its classification> there are quite a few odd clasts scattered throughout the piece (in addition to lots of chondrules). However, there are two large clasts that are definitely different. One about 5mm x 10mm is a light colored clasts along one edge that shows no chindrules of any kind. The other (about 10mm x 10mm) is really dark. This one even has a clast within a clast – the center is a 4mm x 3mm black (carbonaceous?) clast. The remainder/ surrounding material is very dark, shows chondrules but is much higher in troilite (these rare meteorites don not show fresh iron) than the matrix.
17.3 gram slice – 60mm x 43mm x 2.5mm - $250
NWA (8302): Iron. Hexagedrite (IIAB). Found before 2010. Tkw = 22.4 kilograms.
I offered pieces of this on a list back in May of 2014. They all rapidly sold. I had forgotten that I had several specimens of different meteorites from that mailed offering set aside for a customer who never came back for them. Of those, it turned out that this is the only one that I had absolutely no other pieces of. The others just went back into the bags that contained the other pieces still in inventory. So, rather than re-make an inventory bag (the type you’d find in my miscellaneous bucket at shows) I’d just rather offer this here. It is a nice part slice that has one natural edge (one of the long sides) with the rest cut. It has been has been etched and does show some Nuemann lines, though they are faint (not atypical in this type meteorite).
17.0 gram etched part slice – 28mm x 21mm x 4mm - $40
SPRINGWATER, Canada: (Pallasite). Found 1931.
Well, these pieces were really found around 2008 or so when a few well known meteorite guys went into the area and spent a bunch of time re-locating the strewn field. These are from a larger thicker slice that was broken up to make nice natural looking slices (these do indeed look like complete slices) for collectors. I asked for such as I had long since sold out of small pieces of this meteorite I had earlier. I should also say that these particular pieces have been run through a special stabilization process developed and run quite successfully (even on pieces of Admire!!!) by KD meteorites so they should hold up long term.
Slices:
a) 5.8 grams – 22mm x 20mm x 4mm - $105
b) 9.3 grams – 28mm x 20mm x 4mm - $167
c) 13.6 grams – 30mm x 25mm x 4mm - $245
d) 29.6 grams – 55mm x 35mm x 4mm - $500
e) 69.0 grams – 83mm x 40mm x 5mm - $1100
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 181 - large Chelyabinsk and more
Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 181 - large Chelyabinsk and more
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………..LIST 181
November 24, 2015
Dear Collectors,
I have been back from the Socorro trip for not quite a week. I almost forgot about putting out an e-mail offering (as it should have gone out last week) but then realized I have not sent out any offering this month. Also I had a couple nice new things to offer – I really nice large Chelyabinsk and a beautifully etched part slice of Glorietta. I already have a couple photos loaded in the computer ready to go of the Chelyabinsk for those that are interested (other items I’ll get photos of as needed – as usual).
AUMALE, Algeria: (L6). Fell August 25, 1865. Tkw = 50 kilograms.
Here is a part slice (2 cut edges) that obviously came from me at some point many years ago. The info written on the bag is clearly my writing. The interior of this is quite fresh – with only minor amounts of orange near some of the metal grains (in a light gray matrix). Oddly, the crust (30mm of one edge) looks quite weathered, but this is probably mostly from fine- grained yellow soil stuck in the cracks and crevices. Nice piece regardless.
10.3 gram part slice – 30mm x 18mm x 6mm - $150 – 30mm edge crusted. -SOLD
CAMPO del CIELO, Argentina: Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1576.
Here is a part slice that the previous owner bought from Robert Haag in 1986. On the plus side, this still has its original Robert Haag information card with it. On the minus, this thing has rusted pretty badly. However, the rusting seems to be mostly stringers across the surface of the piece so it can probably be salvaged fairly easily (I didn’t want to mess with it as it will likely need to be re-etched afterwards – something that, quite frankly, I stink at). I’m going to offer it in all of its original glory here (where much of the value is probably in the label. The jewelry box it is still in also looks to be a Robert Haag item). I’ll consider attempting some voodoo on it later (when we have nice weather again) if it doesn’t sell as is.
68 gram etched slice with surface rust – 47mm x 47mm x 5mm - $40
CHELYABINSK, Russia: (LL5). Fell February 15, 2013.
Here is, by far, the largest individual I have ever handled of this extremely famous and popular meteorite. Even better, this piece is really fresh. There is some brownish/ purplish areas that my, at first glance, look like after the fall oxidation but I am told that it this is really a form of fusion crust that oxidized during its fall formation. I have seen this on other meteorites (Allende is good for having these “oxidized” areas). Regardless, this is also probably THE most complete stone that I have seen in this size range. This has only a tiny 15mm x 11mm broken area in the crust (that neatly shows black shock veins in a nearly white LL5 matrix). The remainder is completely crusted – pretty much completely with thick primary crust and only a couple 3mm to 5mm secondary crust covered late in the fall chips. One of the neatest features though is the deep (nearly a cm in one area) fusion crusted grove on one end. Obviously, there is a vein of soft material here (there is even some signs of deeper erosion spots along this vein on two other faces). It is interesting to see that the fusion crust still managed to completely (and quite thickly) form all the way to the bottom of this groove. I am pretty certain that if the ablation phase of this fall lasted much longer, this end would have broken off and we’d be seeing a secondary crust covered surface on this end of the stone.
725.9 gram complete individual – 90mm x 75mm x 75mm - $10,000
GLORIETTA MOUNTAIN, New Mexico: (Pallasite). Found 1884.
At one time, I had lots of these wonderful etched Glorietta slices and for relatively cheap (around $3/g I think). These were all cut from a 135 kilogram all iron specimen that was found in May of 2007 (just days after I spent some time in the area. All I found was how to bung up my wrist by swinging a metal detector to vigorously for to long). I though that this stuff would never run out. Turns out, it all went away after a couple years. I haven’t had pieces of this for quite awhile. I got this one during the Denver show and am happy to have it (wish I had it a month or so earlier as I have a customer at the Creede show that pretty much buys all the Glorietta I have ever had there – next year maybe, if it is still around, which I highly doubt). This is a triangular shaped piece that has two cut edges and one natural edge. There are some minor hints of brown rust) spotting along the natural edge (slices of this like to do that but rarely does it turn into a problem) but shows a bright and beautiful etch otherwise. A great piece that is only slightly more expensive than when this material was commonly available.
123.8 gram etched part slice – 90mm x 65mm x 3mm - $500
HUGHES (004) or (005), Australia: (howardite). Found 1991. Tkw: (004) = 304 g, (005) = 284g
This is a nice small piece as it has crust along its longest edge and clearly shows a howardite texture (with a couple obvious green hypersthene chunks in a white and gray matrix). Unfortunately, it was not recorded as to which one this is from. It has the info for both, as they were originally reported to the Meteoritical Bulletin. It may not matter though, as it is noted that these two “different” meteorites may be paired.
.3 gram part slice with crust – 8mm x 5mm x 4mm - $25
MONROE, North Carolina: (H4), brecciated. Fell October 31, 1849. Tkw = 8.6 kilograms.
One stone was recovered near the Flows post office (explaining why the handwritten label that came with this piece says “Flows” but has “Monroe” in parenthesis written below). I know I have had a few small pieces of this in the past. I think a roughly .3g piece that sold for $80 was the largest. This piece is large enough to show the texture. Lots of chondrules and metal visible in this slice.
1.09g slice – 11mm x 10mm x 3mm - $100 -SOLD
NWA 2986: Martian. Basaltic shergottite. Found 2006. Tkw = over 200 grams.
Here are a few basically complete individuals. These do have quite a bit of wind polishing that has removed some areas of crust but they still have the rounded complete individual shape with patches of crust on all surfaces. I’ve had lots of fragments of this (or one of its pairings) over the years but not many pieces that were individuals (I do still have one from earlier that still has completely intact shiny black crust - .694 grams - $750).
1) Individuals as found:
a) .174 grams - 7mm x 5mm x 3mm - $125
b) .266 grams – 7mm x 6mm x 4mm - $185
c) .884 grams – 12mm x 8mm x 6mm - $600
Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………..LIST 181
November 24, 2015
Dear Collectors,
I have been back from the Socorro trip for not quite a week. I almost forgot about putting out an e-mail offering (as it should have gone out last week) but then realized I have not sent out any offering this month. Also I had a couple nice new things to offer – I really nice large Chelyabinsk and a beautifully etched part slice of Glorietta. I already have a couple photos loaded in the computer ready to go of the Chelyabinsk for those that are interested (other items I’ll get photos of as needed – as usual).
AUMALE, Algeria: (L6). Fell August 25, 1865. Tkw = 50 kilograms.
Here is a part slice (2 cut edges) that obviously came from me at some point many years ago. The info written on the bag is clearly my writing. The interior of this is quite fresh – with only minor amounts of orange near some of the metal grains (in a light gray matrix). Oddly, the crust (30mm of one edge) looks quite weathered, but this is probably mostly from fine- grained yellow soil stuck in the cracks and crevices. Nice piece regardless.
10.3 gram part slice – 30mm x 18mm x 6mm - $150 – 30mm edge crusted. -SOLD
CAMPO del CIELO, Argentina: Coarse octahedrite (IAB). Found 1576.
Here is a part slice that the previous owner bought from Robert Haag in 1986. On the plus side, this still has its original Robert Haag information card with it. On the minus, this thing has rusted pretty badly. However, the rusting seems to be mostly stringers across the surface of the piece so it can probably be salvaged fairly easily (I didn’t want to mess with it as it will likely need to be re-etched afterwards – something that, quite frankly, I stink at). I’m going to offer it in all of its original glory here (where much of the value is probably in the label. The jewelry box it is still in also looks to be a Robert Haag item). I’ll consider attempting some voodoo on it later (when we have nice weather again) if it doesn’t sell as is.
68 gram etched slice with surface rust – 47mm x 47mm x 5mm - $40
 |
| Click to Enlarge CHELYABINSK, Russia: (LL5). Fell February 15, 2013 725.9gr |
Here is, by far, the largest individual I have ever handled of this extremely famous and popular meteorite. Even better, this piece is really fresh. There is some brownish/ purplish areas that my, at first glance, look like after the fall oxidation but I am told that it this is really a form of fusion crust that oxidized during its fall formation. I have seen this on other meteorites (Allende is good for having these “oxidized” areas). Regardless, this is also probably THE most complete stone that I have seen in this size range. This has only a tiny 15mm x 11mm broken area in the crust (that neatly shows black shock veins in a nearly white LL5 matrix). The remainder is completely crusted – pretty much completely with thick primary crust and only a couple 3mm to 5mm secondary crust covered late in the fall chips. One of the neatest features though is the deep (nearly a cm in one area) fusion crusted grove on one end. Obviously, there is a vein of soft material here (there is even some signs of deeper erosion spots along this vein on two other faces). It is interesting to see that the fusion crust still managed to completely (and quite thickly) form all the way to the bottom of this groove. I am pretty certain that if the ablation phase of this fall lasted much longer, this end would have broken off and we’d be seeing a secondary crust covered surface on this end of the stone.
725.9 gram complete individual – 90mm x 75mm x 75mm - $10,000
GLORIETTA MOUNTAIN, New Mexico: (Pallasite). Found 1884.
At one time, I had lots of these wonderful etched Glorietta slices and for relatively cheap (around $3/g I think). These were all cut from a 135 kilogram all iron specimen that was found in May of 2007 (just days after I spent some time in the area. All I found was how to bung up my wrist by swinging a metal detector to vigorously for to long). I though that this stuff would never run out. Turns out, it all went away after a couple years. I haven’t had pieces of this for quite awhile. I got this one during the Denver show and am happy to have it (wish I had it a month or so earlier as I have a customer at the Creede show that pretty much buys all the Glorietta I have ever had there – next year maybe, if it is still around, which I highly doubt). This is a triangular shaped piece that has two cut edges and one natural edge. There are some minor hints of brown rust) spotting along the natural edge (slices of this like to do that but rarely does it turn into a problem) but shows a bright and beautiful etch otherwise. A great piece that is only slightly more expensive than when this material was commonly available.
123.8 gram etched part slice – 90mm x 65mm x 3mm - $500
HUGHES (004) or (005), Australia: (howardite). Found 1991. Tkw: (004) = 304 g, (005) = 284g
This is a nice small piece as it has crust along its longest edge and clearly shows a howardite texture (with a couple obvious green hypersthene chunks in a white and gray matrix). Unfortunately, it was not recorded as to which one this is from. It has the info for both, as they were originally reported to the Meteoritical Bulletin. It may not matter though, as it is noted that these two “different” meteorites may be paired.
.3 gram part slice with crust – 8mm x 5mm x 4mm - $25
MONROE, North Carolina: (H4), brecciated. Fell October 31, 1849. Tkw = 8.6 kilograms.
One stone was recovered near the Flows post office (explaining why the handwritten label that came with this piece says “Flows” but has “Monroe” in parenthesis written below). I know I have had a few small pieces of this in the past. I think a roughly .3g piece that sold for $80 was the largest. This piece is large enough to show the texture. Lots of chondrules and metal visible in this slice.
1.09g slice – 11mm x 10mm x 3mm - $100 -SOLD
NWA 2986: Martian. Basaltic shergottite. Found 2006. Tkw = over 200 grams.
Here are a few basically complete individuals. These do have quite a bit of wind polishing that has removed some areas of crust but they still have the rounded complete individual shape with patches of crust on all surfaces. I’ve had lots of fragments of this (or one of its pairings) over the years but not many pieces that were individuals (I do still have one from earlier that still has completely intact shiny black crust - .694 grams - $750).
1) Individuals as found:
a) .174 grams - 7mm x 5mm x 3mm - $125
b) .266 grams – 7mm x 6mm x 4mm - $185
c) .884 grams – 12mm x 8mm x 6mm - $600
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