[meteorite-list] Re: [meteorite list] "Antarctic" meteorite for sale on Ebay

From: Alexander Seidel <ase_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:44 2004
Message-ID: <3AC30D2D.64BE85AA_at_planet-interkom.de>

Ron Baalke wrote:

> The other possibility is the meteorite was collected before the Antarctic
> Treaty was signed. Swiss Meteorite Lab was selling such a meteorite at
> one time. Theil Mountains was the name if I remember correctly.


Hi Ron and list,

in fact it was Mt. Baldr (a) and (b), now known as MBRA 76001 and 76002
respectively.

I have a 21.5 g crusted slice of the MBRA 76001 meteorite (an H6) in my
collection, bought in the early 90s from Rolf Buehler of the former
Swiss Meteorite Lab, with all the paperwork of the transaction still in
my archives.

This was recovered *AFTER* the Antarctic Treaty entered into force
(which was as early as 1961), but *BEFORE* strict protocols (e.g. "The
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty", aka the
Madrid protocol) were in place supplementing the Antarctic Treaty with
regard to (among others) Antarctic geological specimens in general and
meteorites in particular.

I know there is great concern regarding the potential for collection of
Antarctic meteorites by private expeditions nowadays, and this point was
just addressed in a working paper submitted by the SCAR (Scientific
Committee on Antarctic Research) working group on geology, at a meeting
last July in Japan. These newer activities of the SCAR group are
obviously done for good reason...

Now here is my question to the law experts, not regarding any newer
finds from Antarctica, but regarding the early (pre-protocol) finds
parts of which have found their way into private hands over the past
years:

Would there be any legal problem reselling or trading THESE to any other
private (i.e. non-scientific) party if one ever tried to do so nowadays?

Apart from my own long-time collection specimen I have seen other early
Antarctic finds offered on dealers websites, offered on Ebay, and even
offered on this list recently, which made me pondering about it.

Alex

P.S. I just realize Al Mitterling had the same idea and has asked the
same question to the list, but now that I have typed it, here it goes
again anyway...

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Received on Thu 29 Mar 2001 05:23:41 AM PST