Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 155

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale- List 155

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487

…………………………………………………LIST 155

June 24, 2014

Dear collectors,

Here is a small offering of some interesting items I got a few days ago. I know, this list should have gone out last week but I did not have this new material (or much of anything new for that matter). I will also likely be missing the next scheduled offering time (July 1^st) as I will be leaving town a day or two later. I’ll be gone for the long holiday weekend and should be back home around July 8^th.

ABEE, Canada: Enstatite chondrite (EH4), imb. Fell June 9, 1952. Tkw = 107kg.

Here are a few small slices (actually, the smaller pieces are more like little bars with polished edges) or those of you that want a piece of this rare and important meteorite in your collection with out spending a fortune. These piece are all very fresh and show lots of metal and brecciation (even on the small ones). The “big” one is very nice (such that I was tempted to hang on to it for my micro collection).

a)       .22 gram slice – 8mm x 3mm x 2mm - $15

b)       .56 gram slice – 12mm x 4mm x 3mm - $30

c)       1.44 gram slice – 13mm x 11mm x 3mm - $75

ALLENDE, Mexico: (CV3). Fell February 8, 1969.

Here is a super fresh broken fragment that has some patches of crust (around 30mm x 10mm and another around 12mm x 10mm). Not much to look at honestly, but it might be a good piece to make some nice small slices (or thin-sections) from. The rumor I got with this piece is that the researcher that it had it years ago got it from Dr. King. Now way to prove that at this point, but this piece is fresh enough to make that story more than believable.

                30.9 gram fragment with some crust – 30mm x 28mm x 20mm - $250

KLAMATH FALLS, Oregon: Specimen bottle.

I got excited over seeing this one in the “collection” as I have never had a piece of Klamath Falls before. It seems I still haven’t. There were two small cut fragments (and some powder) in a small bottle that is labeled “Klamath Co. Museum” and gives an (old) address. This was then in a bag with a card labeled “Klamath Falls”. However, close inspection revealed that this had a some what grainy texture to it (Not something you want to see in an iron meteorite). I checked it with a magnet and, sure enough, it did not stick, My XRF says that this is mostly copper (around 60%) with arsenic (17%) and lead (11%) and a bunch of other stuff. So, not a meteorite but the bottle is cool. This was from an old research collection and I suppose it is possible that the person who had this years ago was working on something from the area (that the Klamath Falls Museum had) that was not a meteorite. No telling now.

                “Klamath Falls” museum labeled bottle containing two mineral fragments - $20

MBALE, Uganda: Ordinary chondrite (L5/6). Fell August 14, 1992. Tkw = 108+ kg.

This was readily available years ago but I rarely see it these days. None the less, it is still among the cheapest of witnessed falls. This is just a nice fragment with a polished face (curved though. I think someone simply polished out a naturally broken edge as opposed to cutting first). This has some crust – an area around 12mm x 11mm. This is not one of the earliest recoveries as it shows some minor rust spotting but is still very fresh so it is not a late recovery either. This comes with a nice specimen card that is generic (no collection name) except a note that says something like “from Pieter Heydelaar” I believe. This makes sense as I know Pieter (a famous gold dealer that dabbles in meteorites a bit) had quite a bit of Mbale years ago.

                3.3 gram fragment with polished face – 20mm x 10mm x 11mm - $15

PLAINVIEW (1917), Texas. (H5) breccia. Found 1917 but may have fallen spring of 1903.

Here is a really nice aesthetic little “micro” slice. It has one crusted edge (one of the shorter edges, unfortunately) with lots of metal and some shock veins in a nice mottled light brown matrix.

                2.1 gram slice – 20mm x 10mm x 3mm - $15

St. MICHEL, Finland: Ordinary chondrite (L6). Fell July 12, 1910. Tkw = 25.4 kg.

I probably priced this on wrong. I know I have heard of it and had pieces of it in the past but I, unfortunately, don’t have any idea what this stuff is “going for” out there so I guessed (more than something like Mbale but less than L’Aigle). So, either someone out there is going to get a great deal or I’ll have this one in Denver. This a thick part slice that is all cut sides except one broken edge (no crust, unfortunately).

                4.3 gram slice – 22mm x 10mm x 10mm - $80 -SOLD

SULTANPUR, India: Ordinary chondrite (L6), black. Fell July 10, 1916. Tkw = 1711 grams.

Now this one I priced high as there seems to be very little of it known and very little of it distributed. I think I have had crumbs of this in the past but this is a much larger “crumb”. This is a small cut fragment that likely broke off o a larger slice sometime in the past.

                .26 gram cut fragment – 8mm x 5mm x 3mm - $100

TENNASILM, Estonia: Ordinary chondrite (L4), veined. Fell June 28, 1872. Tkw = 28.5 kg.

This is a small fresh flake/ fragment. Thankfully, its thinness actually gives it a pretty good surface area.

                .30 gram fragment – 10mm x 6mm x 2mm - $25  

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 164

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 164

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487

…………………………………………………LIST 154

June 3, 2014

Dear collectors,

I wasn’t going to send out an offer this week as I had hoped to visit the Colorado Springs show this weekend (leaving only a couple days to take and pack orders). I didn’t sign up for the show as a seller (stupidly). I thought I had a couple schedule conflicts that quickly evaporated once I made the commitment that I was not going as a seller. However, a recent development has me trapped at home and in need of raising some money. It seems that my car now suddenly needs a new engine. I am not certain what happened but it happened quickly. I have had some issues over the years with this thing randomly using oil at times (usually weeks to months with no loss and then suddenly a quart disappearing over a weekend, or so it seemed). I did a fancy oil change on the thing last week, using high end long life synthetic oil and a high end long life specially made for synthetic oil filter to go with it. I then drove the thing to Ouray (a town about an hour’s drive south of us) and more the past week. Saturday I noticed some subtle but strange and scary noises coming out of the engine on one of my stops (glad I left the engine running for my quick out of the car there otherwise I might not have had ANY clue to a problem developing). I got home and put the thing in the garage. Sunday, having already forgotten about this noise, I pulled the car out to go to a hanger party some friends were having. Getting out of the car to pull the garage door shut I once again heard the noise. However it was much louder and scarier this time. Back in the garage it went (we took Blake’s car). On Monday I did a little more “research” (putting the thing on ramps listening with a make shift stethoscope) into the issue. It was very obvious very quickly – the engine is coming apart (crank and rod bearings are pretty much gone). In fact it is now to the point that I don’t even dare drive it to the shop that I plan to have put a new (well, a good used anyway) engine in the thing around 6 miles away. I am still at a loss as to what could have created this problem but I suspect that it may be a faulty oil filter or just plain old-fashioned coincidence. When I checked the oil Monday, that now supposedly had some 150 miles or so on it, it still looked like it was new and had just come from the container. I know it is synthetic but it should have had some coloration if even just from mixing with the little residual old oil that is always still left in an engine when doing an oil change. I then swapped out the oil filter (already thinking that this MIGHT be the issue). Running the car the few minutes after this to diagnose the issue did indeed seem to bring a little coloration to the oil. The new filter, unfortunately, did nothing to quiet the noise, the damage has already been done. So now I have only the big ugly (and fuel hungry) Suburban to drive until I get this fixed (I can borrow Linda’s car from time to time but not for any serious trips and only at times that she does not need it). I did manage to luck out and find a local shop that has a guaranteed good used engine (with warranty) that has somewhat less miles than my now roasted engine. Unfortunately, my car (a 2001 Subaru Forester) has a bit of a rare engine (used in only 1 year I think) so this is not going to be all that cheap. Linda’s more common 1993 Subaru could have an engine and have it installed for a total of only $1300. The engine on mine alone will run that much. With installation (and, if you are smart, a new timing belt, water pump and oil pump) I’ll be looking at around $2500 or so. A fair amount of money (particularly annoying as taxes are due in a week or so again), but certainly a better option than buying a different used car and finding it has ONLY the engine in good shape (the rest of my car is quite solid and sound mechanically).

So, here is a rather slapped together offering of some odd (and mostly expensive, unfortunately) items that I had set aside for collection or display that are now up for grabs. ALSO, please look over the last few lists I have sent out (those since the beginning of March – Lists 149, 150, 151, 152 and 153. I have many (most?) of the items (or suitable replacements except for perhaps Fukang, and NWA (8302) at this point) listed on those offerings still available. I’ll be happy to try and make you a special private “car repair funds and quarterly taxes” price on anything I still have that you are interested in off of those offerings (at least on all of the items that are mine. There are a few consignments floating around on these offerings).

Note:  Some of you will likely notice that I am no longer putting the “name” numbers in parenthesis. This may make it a little harder to read these offerings. However, I have been informed that having the parenthesis in my posts makes them very hard for people to find these specimens if they do an online search for these particular meteorites.

 

DAR AL GANI 476, Libya: Martian. Shergottite. Olivine phyric. Found 1998. Tkw = 2.20kg.

Here is a complete slice that I have been using as my Mars rock to let people handle. It is a complete slice but it is fairly thick (and thus safe to handle). This has the classic DaG look to it. It has dark (brown surrounded by black) inclusions (olivine) in a really obviously green matrix. Note: I will sell either this OR the NWA (6963) listed below but not both as I need SOMETHING to show people what a Mars rock looks like that is bigger than a thumb-nail sized slice. 
                10.4 gram complete slice – 40mm x 30mm x 4mm - $3500

MURCHISON, Australia: Carbonaceous chondrite (CM2). Fell September 28, 1969.

Here is a fragment I had set aside for a customer way back when I offered this on a mailed list around a year and a half ago. It has sat on a high shelf, forgotten (apparently by the potential customer as well) since then. I don’t remember who asked me to “set this aside” for them so now it is back up for grabs. This is a nice natural fragment that has a nice patch of fusion crust covering around 30% of the piece.

                .56 gram fragment with crust – 10mm x 9mm x 8mm - $80

NWA 032: Lunar Mare Basalt. Found October 1999. Tkw = 300 grams.

I really hesitate to sell this one. It was (and is supposed to be) in a collection of Moon rocks I have on display at a shop in Montrose (in hopes that those people in that town that want to see what a REAL moon rock looks like will get a chance to do so). I had a customer that wanted a “classic” Mare Basalt so I brought this one home to offer to him. He wants something larger and thicker. I have a number of other Lunar meteorites classified as basalts, but this is the one that truly looks like a basalt you’d find here on Earth. Anyway, I have not gotten the chance to get this back over to the display in Montrose so I will offer it here but, admittedly, not cheap. I have no idea what this stuff is going for on the market these days. I am not certain there really is any available. I got this as one of my very first (after DaG 262 anyway) Lunar meteorites (certainly my first Lunar basalt) from Alan Lang many years ago.

                .206 gram slice – 13mm x 10mm x .5mm - $600

NWA 6963, Morocco: Martian. Shergottite. Found 2011. Tkw = 8 kilograms.

This one actually has a known find location and coordinates. According to the Meteoritical Bulletin, this found in south Morocco near the river Oued Touflit. I got this nice piece from Steve Arnold in Tucson this past show. I liked it because it is an end piece and has nice crust (even showing some hints of flow lines) covering the back- side. The internal texture of this looks very much like Shegotty or the coarse grained areas of Zagami. This specimen has a few small dark shock melt pockets in it as well. This has a cut edge to it so it is not a “complete” end piece but this cut edge is such that the specimen is aesthetic none the less. A note on this one: As with the Dag (476) above, I will sell one of these but need to hang on to the other for display purposes (these two are my only “substantial” Martin pieces at the moment). So, the one that sells first is the one that I sell, the other I’ll hang on to (unless another sudden automotive or other disaster hits that is).

                5.45 gram cut end piece – 30mmx 25mm x 3mm - $1700 – nice crust covering back.

NWA 8010: Lunar. Feldspathic breccia. Found 2013. Tkw = 58 grams.

Matt asked me if I wanted to “share” a new lunar meteorite a source of his had turned up. I was hesitant as it was a lot of money. Once he cut it open though, I was sure glad I agreed to take part in this one. This is completely different than any of the other Lunar meteorites that I am aware of. This has large rounded clasts with a brown/ pinkish tinge that are filled with smaller angular to rounded light gray to white clasts. This part is neat and different. However, the really neat thing is that these larger clasts are surrounded by thick black bubbly melt veins! This thing is full of vesicles. UNM has a grad student doing work on this thing (to see what gasses and its origin that formed the bubbles among other things). I had planned to wait until this work was done before offering this thing but circumstances change. This is an end piece and is certainly tough enough to pass around and let people handle it (this is what I was doing with it). About the only thing I can fault this thing for public display/ handling purposes are that is to weird, having the big, bubbly melt veins. I have had enough local trouble with a local loon that thinks he has been finding meteorites that contain gas bubbles. I really don’t want to publicly display this one that IS real and DOES contain bubbles to the locals (and why this piece did not end up as part of the lunar display I have in Montrose right now).

                18.32 gram end piece – 50mm x 25mm x 8mm - $12k

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 153

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 153

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487

…………………………………………………LIST 153

May 20, 2014

BOOK: OUR STONE-PELTED PLANET by H.H. Nininger.

I picked this up in Tucson along with a copy of Farrington’s “Meteorites”. I have read this one a couple times in the past so I’m putting this one up for sale (I may sell the Farrington later once I have had a chance to got through it). It is a pretty usual used copy. It is missing the dust jacket and is clearly an ex-library book (Nevada State Library I think). It is in pretty good shape overall, aside from the old now marked out library labels (mostly on the first pages). This may be actually be rarer (but, perhaps, not quite as desirable) than other copies in that I think this may be the first copy I have ever had that does NOT have Nininger’s signature in it. Anyway, a good reading copy of a fairly rare book.

                Nininger’s “Our Stone-Pelted Planet” - $150 

CANYON DIABLO, Arizona: Coarse octahedrite (IAB).

Here is a tumble polished piece of this now very difficult to get meteorite. I got this as part of a collection that was mostly glasses (tektites and fulgurites) over a year ago. It looks very much like the small tumbled Odessa piece Robert Haag sold years ago – rounded corners, lots of bright metal but still wit black patches in the deeper recesses. I can’t help but wonder if this was one of the ones I heard about back when we (myself and a few friends) acquired the Guadalupe y Calve hexahedrite. While I was looking that over a guy had asked me how Robert “made” those nice little tumbled Odessas (which were selling about as fast as he could prepare them). I gave him my thoughts on how it was done and asked why he wanted to know. He said he had gotten a small “bucket full” of roughly thumb-sized Canyon Diablo pieces that were not only natural but had a white number painted on them. He didn’t like the appearance (or the number) and it seemed his potential customers did not either. I explained what these likely where (Nininger specimens) and their longer term importance to collectors but he was not interested. He also was not interested in selling them to me at anything near what those things would have been worth at the time (maybe $.25 to .30/g, I think I was paying around $35/ pound for Diablos those days). He wanted the much higher $1/g he thought he would get for them cleaned as this was the price Robert was getting for his tumbled Odessas (which, importantly, were very MUCH smaller than the Diablos). Wish I could go back and give this idiot the $1/g now. Anyway, I just have to wonder if this, actually kind of nice specimen was one of those.

                30.9 gram tumble polished individual – 42mm x 15mm x 10mm - $40

NAKHLA, Egypt: Mars rock (Nakhlite). Fell June 28, 1911. Tkw = around 10 kilograms.

It has been a looooong time since I have been able to offer a piece of this famous meteorite. Unfortunately, this is among the most expensive (overall specimen price wise) specimen I have offered as well. However, this is also among the most "Museum grade” specimens I have offered as well. This is a nice, fresh fragment that has a very substantial (around 18mm x 13mm) patch of fresh shiny black crust. This is truly a rare opportunity for the Mars Rock collector (I have generally stopped calling these things “SNCs” as there have been a number of new type Mars rocks that don’t fit those classifications lately).

                5.60 gram fragment with crust – 20mm x 14mm x 15mm - $15,000 – crust patch 18mm x 13mm

NWA 5546: Carbonaceous chondrite (CV3). Found 2008. Tkw = 3.8 kilograms.

I am not sure why this one is still listed as “provisional” in the Bulletin. The provisional report shows the history, type, researcher and everything but yet it hasn’t become “official”. I got a couple pieces of this from Matt late last year and finally decided to chop them in half while doing cutting work on other things on my 10” saw. This is quite weathered, has internal cracks and such but yet is fairly appealing on the cut surfaces. It shows lots of generally large chondrules of various shades of gray, brown and orange in a medium to dark chocolate matrix. These are fairly large and I may end up breaking them down if people really want smaller specimens. I priced these as the cheapest CV3 I have to help make up for the size.

1)       Cut fragments:

a)       84.8 grams – 70mm x 50mm x 10mm - $250

b)       113.8 grams – 80mm x 47mm x 10mm - $340

c)       152.6 grams – 85mm x 50mm x 12mm - $450

ODESSA, Texas: Coarse octahedrite (IAB).

This is an interesting solid really dark brown, nearly black individual. It has been cleaned or treated somehow but I am not certain how. It does not appear to have ever been wire brushed (at least not in anyway more than a really light brushing with a really soft wheel maybe). It does still have a couple tiny areas of natural fine sand or dirt in a couple recesses. I suspect that it was lightly cleaned to remove dirt and maybe some scale but then spent the rest of its life well oiled. Regardless, this is a good sample of this quite scarce (these days) meteorite.

                276.8 gram individual – 65mm x 50mm x 20mm - $200

ZAG, Western Sahara/ Morocco: (H3-6). Fell August 4 or 5, 1998. Tkw = about 175 kilograms.

Here are some really fresh fragments of this important meteorite. This fall is one of only two chondrites (the other being Monahans, TX which also fell in 1998, interestingly) that have been found to contain salt crystals that clearly show that water flowed through these meteorite’s parent body at one time! These crystals, when seen are bright blue or purple due to damage from radiation over the (billions) years. These pieces appear to be natural fragments that are very light gray to nearly white and were likely among the very earliest pieces to have been picked up (I have a fair number of pieces that very obviously were later recoveries. Let me know if you want any of these cheaper pieces). I thought about cutting some of these as some pieces contain an interesting breccia texture but decided against it. This was, though there is a very small chance that any of these contain salt crystals, cutting them would most certainly destroy them if there were any.

1)       Natural fresh fragments:

a)       6.2 grams – 20mm x 17mm x 7mm - $25

b)       9.6 grams – 22mm x 20mm x 10mm - $38

c)       17.7 grams – 25mm x 20mm x 15mm - $70

d)       47.7 grams – 60mm x 30mm x 17mm - $180 – has some obvious breccia zones.

DIAMONDS: “Carbonados” from Brazil.

I remember reading some kind of “news” snippet in a Discover Magazine some years ago that said something to the effect that these “frothy” diamonds from Brazil were likely associated with a meteorite. Furthermore, they weren’t from an impact here on Earth but (supposedly) were already contained in the meteorite before it hit! They supposedly have weathered out and are now found scattered about the find area. This, to be honest, sounds really far-fetched to me. But then, this is the attitude many took early on towards the theories that SNCs were from Mars and the HEDs were from Vesta (both now accepted as fact). Anyway, I tried to obtain some of these after reading that and completely failed (one friend in the diamond business said he could help but I would have to spend a minimum of $50k). I have since kept my eyes out for samples. I finally found some interesting nondescript shaped, somewhat porous diamonds labeled as Brazilian “carbonados” at the Denver Spring show a couple years ago (and misplaced them not long after). I set one aside after rediscovering these and the rest are listed here.

1)       Natural “crystals” as found:

a)       1.1 carat – 7mm x 5mm x 4mm - $100 – light yellow color.

b)       1.6 carat – 9mm x 5mm x 5mm - $150 – light gray color.

c)       2.0 carat – 8mm x 8mm x 5mm - $180 – mixed clear and light tan color.

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 152

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487                                                                                                                                        

………………………………………………………..LIST 152

April 29, 2014

Dear Collectors,

                Here is the e-mail version of my  “spring, after Tucson ” mailed list (just now reaching . Most of this is stuff I’ve had but finally got through research (some, like the LL3.10 below took several tries to finally get done). The hexahedrite (NWA 8302) and Fukang I picked up in Tucson and was thrilled to get them. I am keeping a full slice of the hexahedrite in my collection as it will be the first iron I have that shows a heat alteration rim. I am hanging on to a piece of many of the other things as well, as several of these are things I’ll probably never get as nice an example of (or any) again (L-melt, LL3.10, Eucrite breccia…..)

I should probably note (and should have on the mailed version as well) that many of you, as I, have not received your tax refund. If this is your case and you are interested in things offered here, I’ll be happy to set things aside for you until the IRS sends your refund. So, don’t hesitate to ask me to set things aside. This is actually the case with ANY of my offerings any time of the year. I just ask that, if things change, to let me know if you have changed your mind so I can move the item on to the next interested party.

NWA (8302): Morocco. Iron. Hexahedrite  (IIAB). Found before 2010. Tkw = 22.4 kilograms(?).

I put a question on the TKW as the official report is the 22,4kg and the small card I got when I bought the stuff said it was 15.25kilograms total. Either way, this is a nice, interesting meteorite. It shows a good number of Nuemann lines as a hexahedrite should, as well as lots of small sulfide inclusions. However, this also shows a very distinct re-crystallized heat-alteration rim along the outer edge. I have seen pictures of this in iron meteorites but I don’t recall ever having had an iron before that shows this feature. I picked the full slices as they have the clearest heat rim. The cut pieces all also show natural edge with an alteration zone.

1) Slices: etched one side:

a) 26.5 grams - 36mm x 22mm x 4mm - $65

b) 46.8 grams - 46mm x 35mm x 4mm - sold

c) 135.7 grams - 97mm x 42mm x 4mm - sold

d) 238.7 grams – 170mm x 50mm x 4mm - sold

e) 275.9 grams - 180mm x 70mm x 4mm - $600 – complete slice, really strong heat rim.

Note: I may end up cutting up the complete slice if it does not sell as is. Let me know what size smaller piece you might like and I’ll try to end up with something close to that size if I do cut this.

NWA (7019): Ordinary chondrite. L-Melt rock. Found before February 2011. Tkw = 1315.8 grams.

I got three fragments (two of which fit together) from a dealer in Tucson. It had a weird green color and an odd texture that showed some fairly large vesicles. This made both the seller and I suspect that this was an impact melt. The interior upon cutting supported this hypothesis and later research work confirmed it. The interior shows no chondrules, vesicles and rounded metal/ sulfide inclusions in a fine-grained green matrix. This highly shocked meteorite likely formed by a nearby impact that was large enough to completely melt this material before it escaped its parent body.

1)       Slices:

a) 4.0 grams - 18mm x 15mm x 4mm - $24

b) 7.5 grams - 25mm x 24mm x 4mm - $45

c) 14.4 grams - 45mm x 25mm x 4mm - $85

d) 27.7 grams - 70mm x 40mm x 4mm - $160 – complete slice.

e) 42.4 grams - 75mm x 50mm x 4mm - $240 – complete slice.

2)       End pieces:

a) 34.9 grams - 50mm x 38mm x 14mm - sold

b) 48.8 grams - 45mm x 38mm x 17mm - $245

c) 69.5 grams - 60mm x 37mm x 20mm - $345 – Main mass.   

NWA (7029): Ordinary chondrite (LL3.10). Found before September 2009. Tkw = 205.6 grams.

When I heard the news that this was a 3.10 I didn’t get too excited. BUT when I looked up just how rare such a thing is I began wishing it didn’t, more or less, take three tries to finally get this thing classified (giving up around 25 grams on each try). Currently there are only four LL3.10 meteorites known (including this one) and only another 6 classified at lower metamorphic grades (including Antarctic recoveries). If you include all the Hs and Ls (the rest of the “ordinary chondrites”) then you have another 16 meteorites known with this low or lower of a metamorphic level. Needles to say, these silces show LOTS of chondrules. Also needles to say, I have very little of this special material. I have under 100 grams TOTAL remaining.

1)       Slices:

a) 1.0 grams - 13mm x 12mm x 2mm - $50

b) 2.0 grams - 26mm x 12mm x 2mm - $100

c) 4.0 grams - 26mm x 20mm x 2mm - $200

d) 7.8 grams - 36mm x 25mm x 3mm - $400 – complete slice, lots of interesting inclusions.

NWA (7902): Ordinary chondrite (L3.7), W2. Found before February 2013. Tkw = 2.02 kilograms.

This is one I bought in Tucson last year. The seller, rightfully it turns out, thought this was a type 3 as it shows quite a lot of chondrules on the exterior surfaces. I wasn’t so sure, or at least wasn’t willing to pay the big premium that was being asked on this “type 3” (something like $3/g I think – pretty typical asking price these days for a raw “out of the field” type 3). We eventually came to an agreement we both could live with and one where I can offer this now proven type 3 for substantially less than its starting price from the seller. The interior does not show much metal (pretty much just sulfides) but is nice in texture. There are lots of chondrules of many sizes clearly visible on this roughly 55mm x 35mm cut face. The rest of the stone is

natural wind-polished crust and some fracture (secondary crust?). Nice as it is or great for cutting into slices (which I will likely do if this does not sell intact).

                1954.0 gram main mass – 170mm x 95mm x 70mm - $4000 

NWA (7252): Carbonaceous chondrite (CK5). Found before Feb. 2007. Tkw = 276.1 grams.

This is a piece that I sold after I had sent pieces off for the classification work. After several years it became clear that this was not going to get done so the buyer sold it back to me. More material sent off and the work got done this time. This was originally an individual that was completely crusted but had about 30% secondary crust (so there is likely at least one more related piece out there somewhere). I went ahead and cut the thing up. Slices of this, like most CKs, do not show a lot of chondrules (CKs average only around 15% chondrules in volume) but has an interesting greenish gray matrix.

1)       Slices:

a) 1.2 grams - 15mm x 9mm x 3mm - $18

b) 2.7 grams - 22mm x 13mm x 3mm - $40

c) 4.5 grams - 22mm x 20mm x 3mm - $67

d) 9.4 grams - 38mm x 27mm x 3mm - $140

e) 21.5 grams - 47mm x 43mm x 4mm - $300 – complete slice.

NWA (8162): Achondrite. (Eucrite, monomict breccia. Found before September 2013. Tkw = 297.4 grams.

This is one I wish I could have gotten more of. This showed some brecciation on its natural surface. The inside after cutting makes one say “wow”. This shows LOTS of lighter colored clasts of all sizes surrounded by dark highly shocked material. The material in the clasts and the surrounding matrix all have the same composition, making this a “monomict” breccia. This texture is likely due to impacts nearby on the surface of Vesta (yep, the Dawn mission data is finally getting out and it confirms that Vesta is the source for most of the meteorites classiied as HEDs in our collections!). I had this professionally cut (I hair too big for my saw) and highly polished on one side to really bring out the best in this stone.

1)       Slices:

a) .6 grams - 12mm x 10mm x 2mm - sold

b) 1.3 grams - 19mm x 11mm x 2mm - $32

c) 2.4 grams - 23mm x 17mm x 2mm - $60

d) 5.1 grams - 29mm x 27mm x 2mm - $120

e) 9.9 grams - 40mm x 40mm x 2mm - $225 – complete slice.

f) 23.5 grams - 70mm x 58mm x 2mm - $500 – complete slice.

FUKANG, China: (Pallasite). Found 2000. TKW = 1003 kilograms.

This is one that I offered (as a larger slice) on a recent e-mail offering. I picked this up as part of a collection I purchased from a German fossil dealer as a 100 gram square slice. It had never been coated so there were a couple small rust spots on it. In my attempt to put a new shine on this (using my antiquated polishing equipment) I managed to break it into several pieces – the ones listed here. All of these are still large enough to show the texture of this beautiful meteorite with its huge olivine crystals.

1)       Slices:

a) 18.9 grams - 60mm x 30mm x 2mm - $280

b) 26.4 grams - 60mm x 43mm x 2mm - sold

c) 53.7 grams - 89mm x 50mm x 2mm - sold

ACASTA GNEISS: Ancient rock from Acasta River, Canada.

Here is something I picked up a piece of a few years ago and, when I mentioned it, I found there was a big demand for the stuff (my piece got whittled down quite a bit in supplying pieces to people). I finally got some more this past Tucson. These are small 15mmx 20mm or so) pieces mounted in a labeled perky box. This material is, at this point, the oldest known rock in the world. At 4.2 Billion years old this is not quite as old as most meteorites but formed surprisingly early in Earth’s history.

                Small (15mm plus) fragment in perky box – sold out. Will try to get more.   

Please note:

 The post office keeps increasing shipping rates (despite the government’s official claim is that there is no inflation).  For small US orders $3 should still be fine for now. Larger orders are now $12 (insurance is extra if desired – I’ll look it up if you want it). The real increases came in overseas (or even Canada) shipping. These prices pretty much doubled from what they were a couple years ago. Now small overseas orders are around $9 (I’ll have to custom quote any larger items/ orders). Thankfully, it seems that the rate for registration (recommended on more valuable overseas orders) is still around $12.

                My fax machine has pretty much blown up on me. I can nurse it to work if I must (but often loose the incoming fax if I am not really careful). For overseas orders, it probably is best to go ahead and use my brmeteorites@yahoo.com e-mail. I generally get/ deal with phone calls quicker but I will try to keep up on checking e-mail this time.

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 151

Blaine Reed

P.O. Box 1141

Delta, CO 81416

Ph/fax (970) 874-1487

…………………………………………………………………LIST 151

April 1, 2014

Dear Collectors,

I think this is my last “after Tucson” list. Now I’ll have to dig around to come up with new future offerings (I need to get a mailed list pulled together soon as well – it’ll be a busy couple weeks ahead). This is going out a bit later than I would have liked as I went to Montrose (and took longer than expected) to look at some potential meteorites (none were, unfortunately) and buy an old broken pocket watch. I will try to keep on top of e-mails this afternoon but there may be a couple issues. First, I do have some people coming over later (mine and Blake’s birthday – now over the hill at 50 even) so I may not get to check as often as usual. In addition we have ferocious winds right now. High winds like this, for some reason, often knock out our internet/ DSL connection. Strange, I thought it was all wires in the ground. Anyway, I’ll do my best to keep checking (the phone should always work, though we lost power and phone for an hour or so a few days ago during a wind storm as well).

DHOFAR (1286), Oman: (Eucrite), polymict breccia. Found December 2005. Tkw = 848 grams.

Two pieces that fit together were found about 30 meters apart. This meteorite contains clasts/ fragments of various compositions and colors – making it look very much like a howardite. However, this lacked enough pyroxene to be classified as a howardite. I recently sold out of what I had of this meteorite (and tossed out the remaining info cards) but then picked up a few more pieces in Tucson (and re-made new cards).

a)       2.0 gram slice – 20mm x 17mm x 2.5mm - $25

b)       4.2 gram slice – 42mm x 20mm x 2mm - $50

c)       6.8 gram slice – 35mm x 25mm x 3mm - $75

d)       20.2 gram end piece – 40mm x 20mm x 16mm - $200

IMILAC, Chile: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 1822.

This is a beautiful ¼ slice (2 cut edges at right angle to each other with the remainder being a long natural edge). This is cut super thin so light passes through all of the crystals. This fantastic material has gotten hard (and expensive) to acquire these days. I think this is the first thin slice of Imilac I have had in several years or more. A simply stunning display piece.

                22.9 gram part slice – 55mm x 55mm x 1.5mm - sold

NWA (769): (Eucrite), unbrecciated. Found November 10, 2000. Tkw = 712 grams.

I don’t think I have ever had any pieces of this meteorite before. I got a small lot of fragments, cut fragments and a couple slices at the show. Most of this does indeed look very similar in texture to typical Millbillillie but with much smaller crystal size (really fine-grained). However, a couple pieces do show some uniform (pretty much no crystal texture visible) light gray clasts. Most of the fragments and cut fragments have some (some pieces quite a lot) of nice dark crust that has not had its texture wind-polished away.

a)       2.0 gram slice – 20mm x 10mm x 4mm - $25

b)       3.9 gram fragment – 20mm x 15mm x 10mm - $49 – 12mm x 15mm crust.

c)       5.4 gram slice – 30mm x 18mm x 5mm - $67

d)       10.9 gram end piece – 23mm x 15mm x 17mm - $135 – back ~ 35% crust.

e)       15.8 gram end piece – 35mm x 17mm x 16mm - $195 – back 40%+ crusted.

f)        38.0 gram end piece – 55mm x 30mm x 17mm - $450 – back over 50% crusted.

NWA (7325): Ungrouped achondrite. Found 2012. Tkw = 345+ grams.

This is the stuff that showed weird green fusion crust on the rare pieces that had crust. Its low iron content, texture and other features have led some to believe that this may be from the planet Mercury (though others would argue that this material is far too ancient to be from a body of that size). Regardless, this is strange and unique material no matter where it came from. I have a few cut pieces and one fragment (that actually does have a small 3mm x 2mm patch of the weird green crust) that I picked up from Matt in Denver back in December but only recently got around to cataloging them.

                a) .61 gram slice – 18mm x 10mm x 1mm - $580

                b) .87 gram end piece – 14mm x 10mm x 4mm - $785

                c) 1.54 gram fragment – 13mm x 12mm x 7mm - $1400 – has small patch of     crust.

                d) 1.68 gram slice – 28mm x 16mm x 1mm - $1590

NWA 8159: Martian. Augite basalt. Found 2013. Tkw = 149.4 grams.

This is one that brings up mixed emotions for me. I am thrilled at its discovery as I am the one that pretty much discovered this gem. It was in the “likely junk to go out to the rock garden” pile that a fellow meteorite dealer had at the 2013 Denver Show. He had me going through MANY (easily over 100) rocks to see what might be important (with the rain and flooding during the show, I had plenty of time for this and found it, at times, to be an interesting distraction). I saw this one in the “junk” pile and commented that it most definitely was a meteorite as it had clearly visible shock veins. Thankfully, he had cut the thing so I had a cut surface to run the XRF on. I expected the thing to come up as a Eucrite, as that is pretty much what the thing looked like. HOWEVER, the chemistry of the thing came up as MARTIAN! At that point, the owner said that if this turned out to be the case he would give me “a complete slice of like 20grams” (gads, I wish I had gotten THAT in writing now). Anyway, not only did this thing turn out to be Martian, it turned out to be a completely new type of Martian! It has some similarities to various features of Nakhlites and Shegottites but yet is overall different. I did indeed get a package from the owner containing a sample for my helping in the discovery once this was officially reported. It contained a 2.2g block. I double/ triple checked the box to be sure I didn’t miss anything else in the packing material. Nope, nothing. I figured more would come later after cutting. I checked the Meteoritical Bulletin report for the thing and it did list me as having some of this (but unfortunately not anything about my part in the discovery) and it did indeed confirm that my share was indeed 2.2 grams. Now don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have this (certainly better than NOTHING which is easily what I could have ended up with). I guess I am being a little greedy myself. A couple grams certainly will change my month, but 20grams would have changed my year (but then, I would have found it really difficult to break up a complete slice). I split the thick block into two thinner slices and then broke those up into the pieces listed here. I have already sold some and am keeping a small piece for myself so I have less than 1.25 grams total to sell.  The price is going to seem really high BUT this is right about what much larger pieces were selling (and pieces were indeed selling) for per gram in Tucson. The price has supposedly been raised (right after the show) to $8159/ gram. Given what the other unique Mars rock “Black Beauty” has been bringing, this is probably not all that unreasonable or surprising. Anyway, get em while I got em. I’ll give the contact info for the holder of the main portion of this material if I run out or you really need something bigger than I have here. All of these pieces are in a membrane box.

a)       .042 gram slice – 3mm x 3mm x 2mm - sold

b)       .080 gram slice – 4mm x 4mm x 2mm - $420

c)       .115 gram slice – 6mm x 4mm x 2mm - sold

d)       .335 gram slice – 9mm x 7mm x 2mm - sold

e)       .580 gram slice – 11mm x 9.5mm x 2mm - $2900

SMARA, Western Sahara. Achondrite (Eucrite), polymict breccia. Found 2000. Tkw = 12.87 kilograms.

Here is a eucrite that came from the NWA area but has an actual name and known find location. In addition, this is interesting in that it is a breccia containing clasts of many types (including subophitic basalts, granular microgabbros and impact melt clasts). I have two piece that were once one; a long part slice that I managed to break (not intentionally however) during transport back home from the show.

                19.0 gram part slice – 35mm x 34mm x 6mm - $230

                25.1 gram part slice – 45mm x 35mm x 6mm - $300

SPRING WATER, Canada: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 1931.

Here is a fairly small block that I have left exactly as I got it. It is a piece that is cut on all sides. It has not been polished or coated but yet still shows bright metal (with no distinct rusting) and nice bright crystals. I think that this was an old research work piece as it is in a research type snap lid plastic vial. This also has the number 135d written on it in black ink (a big part o the reason I left this thing alone – handling while polishing or the spray coating material could have easily destroyed this feature) indicating that this was likely cut from the early Nininger Spring water specimen.

                11.67 gram block – 17mm x 14mm x 12mm - $250

VACA MUERTA, Chile: Stony-iron (Mesosiderite). Found 1861.

This is a small cut fragment that came in as part of a collection. It is nothing special but the small (17mm x 11mm) cut face does show more metal than most Vaca pieces I have had.

                8.0 gram cut fragment – 18mm x 13mm x 14mm - $24

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 150 - yet more after Tucson stuff

Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 150 - yet more after Tucson stuff

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………………LIST 150
March 18, 2014

Dear Collectors,

Here is yet another “after Tucson” list.

CHINGA, Russia: Ni-rich ataxite. (IVB) anomalous. Found 1913. Tkw = 80+ kilograms.
This is a nice solid (no rust scaling) end piece I picked up as part of a small collection during the show. The cut face is simply polished, not etched (this doesn’t show much when etched anyway). A nice piece for display.
196.2 gram end piece – 55mm x 28mm x 40mm - $300

FRANCONIA, Arizona: (H5). Found October 31, 2002. Tkw = 100+ kilograms.
This meteorite is interesting in that small grains of native copper have been found in cut pieces. I have not had a lot of this material over the years even though quite a lot of it was found (not sure any more is turning up these days either). I think most who found pieces kept them. Anyway, I was able to trade for a few nice complete individuals at the show. These are all distinctly complete and are covered with fusion crust, though that crust is a thin secondary crust in some areas on most of these stones. Nice small pieces.
a) 16.3 gram individual – 28mm x 18mm x 16mm - $25
b) 32.8 gram individual – 30mm x 30mm x 19mm - $50
c) 47.8 gram individual – 37mm x 30mm x 20mm - $70

NWA (unstudied): Oriented individual.
Now here is a bit of a crime. This is a quite fresh chondrite (likely L5 or L6) that was very clearly perfectly oriented. Much of the crust is brown on the front side but it clearly shows a line where it changes to black that shows how this was sitting in the ground when it was found. The front shows nice flow lines and a number of elongated “flower petal” thumb-prints. The back side (which is mostly black with some minor dirt attached – this has not been cleaned at all) shows rough textured bubbly in spots crust. There is also a very distinct bubbly roll-over rim around the edge of this piece. The “crime” is that somebody chopped off one side of this specimen (kind of like Lafayette). This does allow you to see the white interior and how surprisingly thick the fusion crust is on this stone (around 1mm thick or so). The bigger “crime” though is that the piece that was cut off was not kept with this beauty. None the less, this is a classic example of an oriented meteorite.
265.8 gram oriented ½+ individual – 85mm x 50mm x 33mm - $400

NWA (2932): Stony-iron (Mesosiderite). Found 2005. Tkw = around 15 kilograms.
This is one I wish I had more of. This is what a mesosiderite should be. This is a slice that is quite fresh and shows lots of metal (some as large round nodules) and lots of silicates (including at least one large cm sized crystal that looks like olivine but is likely pyroxene). A superb specimen for someone looking for a truly representative mesosiderite piece for their collection.
115.6 gram complete slice – 88mm x 55mm x 7mm - $1100

NWA (6963); Martian (Shergottite). Found 2011. Tkw = 8 to 10 kilograms.
This is a part slice that looks surprisingly like the coarse-grained portions of Zagami. The edges though give this one away as a find. There is one tiny (2mm x 2mm perhaps) patch of black crust but the remainder of the natural edge (about half of the specimen’s edge as two sides appear to be cut) shows some minor adhering dirt. This meteorite, like Zagami, also has a lot of Maskelynite glass, some as shock veins, though this piece shows this mostly as the occasional darkened shocked pocket rather than veins. This piece is in a neat Steve Arnold prepared riker display box and is ready for display or passing around to interested friends or lecture attendants.
2.25 gram part slice is riker display – 20mm x 12mm x 4mm - $700

QUIJINGUE, Brazil: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 1984. Tkw = 59 kilograms.
This meteorite was found buried one meter deep by a farmer digging holes for planting trees. He later gave it to a miner who got it identified as a meteorite. I remember when this came out some years ago. I was worried (as I am with any new pallasites) about this being a “ruster” (and some people may have indeed had problems with this, I don’t know though). However, this piece was uncoated and came from Germany (quite humid) and it looked quite fine to me (only a couple tiny rust spots is all I found). I have coated it though just to be safe. I have two pieces that were from the same slice (I broke it as someone at the show needed a smaller piece and it was clear that it would be easy to snap the piece into several smaller specimens).
a) 5.4 gram part slice – 25mm x 20mm x 3mm - $80
b) 35.9 gram part slice – 63mm x 46mm x 3mm - $525

PHILIPPINITES: Rizal province, Philippines.
Here are a few “Rizalites” I recently picked up from Alan Lang (unfortunately, these did not come with any labels). The smallest and largest pieces here are flatish and have a slightly indented bottom but both show some nice fairly deep grooving on their top sides. The middle sized piece is more the classic large round specimen (as is typical from this area) but lacks grooving to speak of.
a) 47.6 gram individual – 40mm x 40mm x 20mm - $40
b) 111.8 gram individual – 45mm x 43mm x 37mm - $84
c) 121.6 gram individual – 63mm x 53mm x 25mm - $100

Blaine Reed Meteorites - List 149, more after Tucson things 04MAR2014

Blaine Reed Meteorites - List 149, more after Tucson things

Blaine Reed
P.O. Box 1141
Delta, CO 81416
Ph/fax (970) 874-1487
…………………………………………………………………LIST 149
March 4, 2014

Dear Collectors,

Here is another “after Tucson” list. I’ll probably have a couple more but the one that should go out later this month (on the 18th I believe) may be off in its timing as I may be out of town for a bit around that time.

BROWNFIELD (1937), Texas: (H3.7) found 1937. Tkw = about 47 kilograms.
Here is a cut fragment I sold to a collector many years ago. There are two cut faces that both show lots of chondrules and some metal in a light to medium brown matrix. The natural portion of this specimen is roughly equally divided between old natural break and fusion crust.
36.9 gram cut fragment – 48mm x 25mm x 18mm - $250

DHOFAR (1286), Oman: (Eucrite), polymict breccia. Found December 2005. Tkw = 848 grams.
Two pieces that fit together were found about 30 meters apart. This meteorite contains clasts/ fragments of various compositions and colors – making it look very much like a howardite. However, this lacked enough pyroxene to be classified as a howardite. I recently sold out of what I had of this meteorite (and tossed out the remaining info cards) but then picked up a few more pieces in Tucson (and re-made new cards).
a) 2.0 gram slice – 20mm x 17mm x 2.5mm - $25
b) 4.2 gram slice – 42mm x 20mm x 2mm - $50
c) 6.8 gram slice – 35mm x 25mm x 3mm - $75
d) 20.2 gram end piece – 40mm x 20mm x 16mm - $200

FUKANG, China: Stony-iron (Pallasite). Found 2000. Tkw = 1003 kilograms.
Here is a square cut slice of this beautiful pallasite. This meteorite probably has the largest, on average, olivine crystals of any pallasite. I tell people that you pretty much need a rodeo belt-buckle sized piece of this meteorite to begin to see its texture. Thankfully, this is pretty much what I have here. The crystals, with the exception of a couple on one side, all pass light, making this a nice natural “stained glass window”. This is a piece that came uncoated from Germany. I have coated it but have left the few minor rust spots alone as I have not figured out how to regain the mirror polish after sanding these meteorites.
100.5 gram slice – 90mm x 89mm x 2mm - $1300

GOLD BASIN, Arizona: (L4). Found November 24, 1995. Tkw = about 127 kilograms.
This is the stuff that many found discarded as simple “hot rocks” by people metal detecting for gold in the area. A new gold rush into the area was started once it was found that these “hot rocks” were often meteorites. I have two as found specimens. The smaller is a blocky piece that might cut fairly well but is nice the way it is. The larger is the largest, by far, Gold Basin piece I have had. It is, at best, half of the original stone so this was a real monster when it fell some 20-25 thousand years ago (I think this strewn field is still reported as the oldest chondrite fall outside of Antarctica). Both pieces show areas of natural breaks as well as clear weathered fusion crust (typical Gold Basin material in other words).
a) 350.8 gram individual/ fragment as found – 80mm x 50mm x 40mm - $435
b) 1483.3 gram fragment/ individual as found – 150mm x 120mm x 50mm - $1500

NWA (845): (R4), W1. Found March 5, 2011. Tkw = 36+ grams.
The total known on this must be wrong. 36 grams is listed but I got a bit over 40 grams of nice thin slices from a German fossil dealer in Tucson. This meteorite appears to have a known find location (the info given with it has coordinates, which are also reported in the Meteoritical Bulletin) but still ended up being called just an NWA. None the less, these are nice thin slices that show lots of chondrules in a nice medium brown (with hints of orange) matrix. Some of these (the part slices) have one cut edge.
a) .61 gram part slice – 16mm x 9mm x 1mm - $12
b) .94 gram part slice – 27mm x 11mm x 1mm - $19
c) 2.1 gram slice – 28mm x 22mm x 1mm - $40
d) 3.6 gram slice – 36mm x 26mm x 1mm - $67
e) 8.1 gram part slice – 40mm x 30mm x 2mm - $150

NWA (853): Achondrite (Ureilite). Found March 2001. Tkw = 720 grams.
I thought about keeping this one (and may yet do so). It is a rectangular blocky piece that shows 3 cut faces. However, the majority of the natural uncut part clearly shows distinct fusion crust (covering around 40% or so of the specimen). I don’t recall having a ureilite before that showed much of any crust let alone distinct heavy black crust. Interesting and no doubt fairly rare. Grab it before I change my mind.
131.8 gram cut fragment – 50mm x 35mm x 30mm - $2000

PORTALES VALLEY, New Mexico: (H6). Fell June 13, 1998. Tkw = 71.4 kilograms.
This is easily the weirdest “H6” I have ever seen. Even the “chondritic” portion looks strange. It does not seem to show any chondrules and has a crystalline texture, fine metal grains and some large metal veins, making it look almost identical to the Fortuna Winonaite I offered earlier. I thought this was “reclassified” into some kind of “achondritic metallic melt breccia” but the Meteoritical Bulletin does not seem to mention anything about this. Anyway, this is a nice partial slice that is mostly silicates but does show quite a lot of metal veins running through it. This has two labels with it; one from the Jake Pelletier Collection and one (with a picture of the specimen) from Robert Woolard. This is supposed to be a 42.8 gram specimen but a small (.2g or so) piece has broken off of one corner at some point (this piece is still with the specimen in its membrane box). There are two cut edges (making up 40% or so of the edge) but the majority is natural and shows some fusion crust.
42.6 gram part slice – 100mm x 68mm x 2mm - $1500