BLM fees for selling me found meteorites

[golden ray]

the BLM ruling on meteorites is that a person is allowed 10 lbs. per year. you can not
sell,trade ,or give them to anyone else! My STUPID hunting partner filed for permission
to collect and sell larger amounts this past winter. He told them he already had 3400 lbs.
I have checked them out, and told him that only 5 or 6 of them are really meteorites.
BUT, of course he disagrees and sees dollar signs. This being a new form of income
for BLM,they jumped right on it. Several BLM employees told him that in the fall of 2012
they started a separate 'meteorite catagory' due to all the attention the field has been
getting from the TV shows. Of course they smelled money!
Last month one day, local police, a BLM geologist, and a BLM ranger showed up at his
door,saying he MIGHT be under arrest, & wanted to see the stones.
For 4 (four) hours their geologist handled,weighted, each stone saying they were all
good meteorites.!!!! Made a list of every stone,(hundreds) gave him a copy.
Told him they were not going to take him in since he filed the correct paperwork so far.
Told him they will contact him with the purchase price,BUT till the payment is made,he can not
do anything with them. He is waiting to hear from them as to what he will have to pay BLM
for the lot,so he can claim legal possation of the stones & legally sell them for profit. ( he refuses
to believe me or the Smithsonian Museum (twice) that his stones are plain Hematite !!!
His paperwork is now at BLM's Washington DC office as a 'lead' case. (first one!) & they are
stalling him as to the payment amount.
My opinon is they are unsellable, due to the fact they are not true meteorites. YES, he's an idiot.
TWO THINGS-----
Their geologist doesn't know anything about meteorites, & he is trying to look good to his bosses
by confirming (BUT NOT IN WRITTING) the stones,& making money for the BLM.
And has anyone who is reading this had ANY experience with paying the BLM for anything found
THE BLM GEOLOGIST DID NOT TAKE EVEN ONE SAMPLE STONE WITH HIM FOR LAB TO CHECK OUT!!!!!

 

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[Alex Burke]

Lol this story has me speechless, sort of lol. First off finding over a ton of it won't help anyway as the value drops depending on how common it is as I'm sure you know, secondly people are hard to convince its not a meteorite and everyones blind faith is common in these instances. The rest of the story about paying shakedowns to the blm sounds crazy but not much suprises me anymore. Are you sure the blm isnt trying to buy them off your friend or are they really trying to charge your friend who probably couldn't afford them if they were real. Why did he file for permission lol is blowing my mind it his land why tell the mgrs of it, do they want a cut of gold next? Be pretty easy to prove most of them fakes and get out of situation and next time keep it to himself till he claims mineral rights or something.

 

[golden ray]

MeteorMiner, I can educate my friend only so much ! I told him if he wants to play legal with the BLM, that
he will loss. ALL THEY WANT IS MONEY. Also for everyones info., you can not file a placer or lode claim for
recovery of suspected meteorites. Like I said before, 'just pick & shut up'.

 

[Alex Burke]

Good to know I didn't know that about the mineral rights. Keep us updated on this strange tale of extortion and greed lol. Once they try to register it here Meteoritical Bulletin: Search the Database which all the legit ones are it'll get flagged as fake by the experts I would think. Have they tried to register it/them do you know?

 

[golden ray]

No, he will not register any of them. He has a 'friend' in Calif. who knows people in China
who will buy the whole lot (he,s talking millions) for resale.
If you have been keeping up with the news,China has been selling fake meteorites for
quite a while now, on a BIG fancy website.
THE PLOT GETS THICKER, LOL

 

[Alex Burke]

Haha, I bet it's dangerous to sell fake meteorites to the wrong people lol. I guess they if they know they're buying fakes for resale they're just as crazy. Wonder how this could go wrong or how for your friend it could possibly go right lol. Maybe your friend should just give the BLM contact info to the Chinese and cut out the middleman

 

[sciflyer25]

#1 - was already stated, your friends with an idiot.
#2 - stated as well - pick up and shut up
#4 - the only was to verify every stone is to haul 3400 lbs to a lab at ASU, another university, or NASA
#3 - never EVER trust any buyers AND sellers from china.

You definitely should not be in "business" with him.

 

[ivan salis]

if he has to "pay for them" -- I would say I demand in writing that they are in fact * meteorites by the govt geo boys * that way , he can go these are "offically govt documented" meteorites -- and then when and if he sells them---- any "issues" by buyers about them being "real" then can be taken up with the govt geo wanks .

 

[Gold Maven]

Golden Ray.

you say your friend is an idiot, did the BLM really show up and confirm his rocks, or did he just make up this story after you told him his meteorites were hematite?

It sounds kind of far fetched.....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

if he has to "pay for them" -- I would say I demand in writing that they are in fact * meteorites by the govt geo boys * that way , he can go these are "offically govt documented" meteorites -- and then when and if he sells them---- any "issues" by buyers about them being "real" then can be taken up with the govt geo wanks .

Heck, if he does that, I bet he would and could merely get someone to tell him that he simply can't pick up ANY rocks, or ANY composition. I mean, certainly there must be some laws that forbid "harvesting", "collecting", and "taking", in any park or public place. Right? Because otherwise, what's to stop some yahoo from thinking he can back up his truck to the beach and start harvesting all the sand in a sand-mining operation? Or what's to stop me from backing up my truck to the park and helping myself to all the tan-bark in the kid's tot lot?

Thus no matter how you slice it (whether meteorites or not), this is only an example of "no one caring till you ask" (or making a big stink about yourself, or whatever).

 

[golden ray]

Gold Maven, Yes, a BLM geologist, a BLM ranger, & a local cop all showed up at his door one day.
I was not there at the time, but have copies of the paperwork they left with him.
EACH & EVERY stone was weighed & recorded on paper. They told him that ALL stones were
good meteorites, BUT,where is it stated on their paperwork, nowhere. They know how to cover their ass.

 

[ivan salis]

demand it in writing that he is paying a meteorite tax on each and every one of them that way their "officially" documented from a selling stand point . (and worth paying for that) as it makes them "govt certified".

 

[augoldminer]

IF i found a meteorite the last people i would tell is the BLM.

I don't even tell them about the gold i find.

i know the miners that found the Old Woman Meteorite in the calif desert and got robbed by the BLM
DESERT EXPLORER: BATTLE FOR THE OLD WOMAN METEORITE

 

[doc-d]

What is the point of saying anything? Our government today is nothing but corrupt.......criminals in uniforms we pay for..........
Why would you willingly engage with criminals? What good will come from it?
Shovel and shut up!

 

[scurvy_seadog]

you know what? how the heck can the BLM know you found anything on our lands if you don't tell them?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

you know what? how the heck can the BLM know you found anything on our lands if you don't tell them?

scurvy-seadog, don't be silly. You KNOW that navy seals and auditors are hiding out in the forests, behind every tree, watching your every move!

 

[golden ray]

As an update on my partners dealings with BLM & meteorites.
BLM came again and took two sample rocks for their lab to check out.
Two weeks later, we called them. They said the rocks are not
meteorites, and we have to return the rocks to their org. place.
Also that my partner owns them money for wasting their time, didn't
say how much !! My partner (findlly wising up to their ways) told
them to put it in writing, end of conversation.
No reply from BLM in 4 weeks now. I hope my partner learned his
lessons in dealing with BLM. Dig & shut up.

 

[doc-d]

Shovel and shut up......

 

[augoldminer]

As an update on my partners dealings with BLM & meteorites.
BLM came again and took two sample rocks for their lab to check out.
Two weeks later, we called them. They said the rocks are not
meteorites, and we have to return the rocks to their org. place.
Also that my partner owns them money for wasting their time, didn't
say how much !! My partner (findlly wising up to their ways) told
them to put it in writing, end of conversation.
No reply from BLM in 4 weeks now. I hope my partner learned his
lessons in dealing with BLM. Dig & shut up.

Now he can take the 5 or 6 real meteorites out of the pile and dump the rest.

 

[whitjake]

I would of said that I found them on private land around the debris field.