Slashdot Mirror
What Can I Do With My Meteorite?
DanCracker asks: "I've just inherited a 34 lb metorite from my grandfather. As a child, I was alwasy fascinated by it, but never developed my intrest. As much as this means to me, I've got little need nor room for such a thing. What is the next course of action I should take? Contact labs or universities? Post it on eBay? Help!"
but only if it has kryptonite in it!
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
You've go one hell of a big paper weight.
Price Guide
Museums are typicly for profit first and education second. Sell it to a museum. Do not donate it.
At $100 a gram average, you are sitting on about 1.5 million dollars.
Sell the shit out of it and don't look back. Do not be a sucker.
If voting were effective, it would be illegal by now.
I bet it's got a little blob inside. Careful or it'll devour your entire town.
As much as this means to me, I've got little need nor room for such a thing.
At the risk of looking like a sentimental wimp, I suggest that you reconsider your decision to part with it. It is, and will always be, a reminder of your grandfather. Now, if you never liked the old guy, you should dump it. But if you would like a permanent reminder of him, this meteroite is a unique tribute. Although you may not have any particular "need" for it now, you may regret your decision to part with this unusual family heirloom 10, 20, 30+ years down the line. And every time someone comes to your house and sees it, they will ask you about it. That will give you the opportunity to pause and remember your grandfather, if only for a second.
It's your choice but I encourage you to try to think beyond your immediate needs and consider the long-term effects of your decision. Once it's gone, it's gone for good.
GMD
watch this
Your a nerd aren't you? Make it into Polyhedral Dice.
That was gonna be my suggesiton. As a satisfied customer (I bought wedding bands for my wife and I in '97), check out Talisman Jewlers and their meteorite jewlery. I've been eyeing some of these items for years (for the cool factor), but I haven't taken the time to order yet.
Method of processing duck feet
Break it up into chunks and sell them for their Super Mystical Energy Powers to the New Age loons...
To expand a little...
d
1) Research it. When did your Grandfather get it? Are there local news clippings of the strike? Where was it found? Try to get the provenance a la Antiques Roadshow.
2)Get it appraised - and NOT on "Ask Slashdot"! Do some research and get a real appraiser to look at it. Try the net for general info - Google coughed up
http://www.lunar-meteorite.com/frontnew.htm
an
http://www.mhmeteorites.com/
(forewarned - paid links, but look relevant).
Call the local university or astronomy club or observatory for references.
3) Safeguard it while you do your research. Suggest getting a large safe deposit box at your local bank. Now that you've broadcast that you have it to the world, best keep it safe.
After you've determined its monetary value, you can weigh it against its sentimental value and decide. Researching its history might increase it's sentimental value, and make it into something you don't want to part with.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
This item will most likely not get more valuable as time passes, so if you wish to make any monetary gain on it, the sooner you sell it the more money you make on it. Now, in the short run this may not be true, but as privitized space programs start becoming more prevailent, meteorites are going to become 'common' items. A meteorite is merely a piece of rock thats been moving through space for a while; there's a lot of them out there, we just don't have immediate access. Once companies can easily procure such items, they will start selling them to labs in record speed. Unless they pull some sort of 'diamond-mining' scheme, prices will drop. So in short, do not depend upon the meteor as a longterm investment.
"What can a thoughtful man hope for mankind on Earth, given the experience of the past million years? Nothing." -Bokonon
Sounds like it could make for one hell of a casemod!
Take it outside on a clear day. Hold it in your right hand. Take a deep breath. Look upwards. Take a few steps and fling it into the sky as hard as you can. Should a martian grandpa give it to its martian sub-product, I think it will prefer to keep it even if its living in a $270 per month apartment.
2) Screw in a tiny ring to it and give it to your girlfriend.
"Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
If you have kids or grandkids, you could uh, die.
I have only seen a few meteorites, all except one in museums (that one was owned by a mail clerk at my work, who asked me if I thought it was a meteorite and what should she do - I told her it certainly looked like one, felt and weighed like one - iron, bubbled - told her to get it looked at by someone at ASU). I don't know if all meteorites look like this (I could only describe it as "porous" or "spongy" iron chunk - looks almost like lava rock, but bigger, and iron - stick a magnet to it), but every one I have seen looked like that (which don't mean jack).
So, get it appraised - but keep it. If you liked your grandpa, and you have memories of it as being interesting as a kid, then it is something worth keeping (but hey, if it is valuable, use it for collateral or something)...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
I don't have a great feel for what the size of the thing is, but how about having it crafted into an urn for your Grandfather? Or carved into a small bust? Or have one side cut/polished and have an image of him carved in relief?
-Peter
I recommend you slice it up and sell off most of it. If you and/or your grandpappy were into knives, you might consider having part of it made into a collectible knife.
You could sell it to the knife company for the knife and a nice chunk of cash.
I recall there was a slashdot story on Damascus steel that referred to some of these knives maybe a year ago.
Of course, if its not your typical iron meterorite, then it maybe is even more valuable, so maybe an assay is the best way to start.
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