Who buys/authenticates?

[discovery_bound]

Greetings all,
I've never really given much thought to meteorite hunting and doubt I'd know one if I seen one on the ground. I have no plans to start hunting for them, but, if I do come across an odd looking rock that's magnetic I just might pick it up from now on. My question is who authenticates meteorites? Can you take it to a geological office to have it verified? If I were to ever come across one and have it officially tested and verified, then how does one try to sell it without knowing what it's worth? Like I say, I doubt I'll ever come across one, but just in case at least I might have a general idea of where to go or who to talk to. Any helpful input is appreciated, thanks.

HH
DB

 

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[extractor]

Ya can send it in to AU to get it authenticated and classified.

 

[DanB]

at the end of each month the professor at ASU in Tempe AZ will look at your rocks....you can send it in or call before bringing it in in person....

good luck

db

 

[BigDan]

I would suspect...

...now that the show, "Meteorite Men", is on the air, that the Professor is going to find himself inundated with possible meteorites. I also wonder, if based on simple supply and demand theory, if the value of meteorites might not plummet?

The question then will be, if the general public catches a collecting craze from the publicity of our unearthly visitors? And, if this happens, will it be a short phenomina...or more?

It is kind of fun to watch a treasure search so new that even the field "experts" must take their finds to a University to have them authenticated.

 

[Tuberale]

For discovery_bound: Meteorite authentication is done by specialized laboratories. One such is at Portland State University (PSU) in Portland, Oregon. They just authenticated a couple of meteorites this year!

Here's the contact information for one of the 3 people involved:

Alex Ruzicka
Dept. of Geology
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207
503-725-3372

Testing is free, and no longer destroys a significant portion of the stone to be tested.

Most geology departments will NOT be able to verify a suspected meteorite.

Meteorites are the rarest of rocks on earth. There is a rapidly growing, aggresive marketplace for confirmed meteorites, and the people who bid on meteorites are world-wide. Competition pushes prices upward. Current prices for single-fall meteorites (only 1 stone known) begin at around $10,000/lb.

But some rarer meteorites are literally sold by the gram.

Meteorites are like any other commodity, though. Common meteorite specimens from falls like Sikhote that produced tons of material are quite cheap. So rarity plays a big factor in final value. Another price factor is whether the stone has been authenticated and classified by an independent source. Meteorites already authenticated, classified, and published are worth considerably more than non-attributed stones.

To BigDan: meteorites remain (and will probably continue to remain) some of the rarest of rocks on earth. It is highly unlikely they will decrease in value because of a television program.