[meteorite-list] RE: Dhofar 025 Real or Phony

From: Norbert Classen <trifid_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Aug 27 08:03:56 2005
Message-ID: <200508271205.j7RC5HCY020546_at_ev1.craft.de>

Hi Don, Martin, and All,

I've seen close-up pictures of fragments of the alledged "Dho 025" sold on
eBay by "floridacoaster", and they actually don't look like the real McCoy
but more like a vesicular terrestrial basalt. However, pictures are not too
good to judge from, and I would actually be interested in comparing a sample
of "floridacoaster's" alledged lunar with a real piece of Dhofar 025. Your
choice - contact me off-list for more information. As Martin said, you can
also bring your sample to the Munich show in late October where I can have a
close look at it (BTW, the finder of Dhofar 025 will also be there to have a
look).

Don wrote: "A neo magnet has no problem attracting it." Another reason to
doubt the authenticity of the material sold by "floridacoaster". I tested my
samples of Dhofar 025, and the paired Dhofar 301, 304, and 308, and none of
them were attracted by a very strong Neodymium magnet, not even slightly. So
I would say that the magnetic suspectibility of the floridacoaster samples
also suggests that these are not pieces of Dhofar 025, but basaltic samples
of terrestrial provenance. Of course, I could be wrong here since regolith
breccias often do contain NiFe inclusions of impacting iron meteorites, and
micro-meteorites. In this case, the magnetic suspectibility of the sample in
question shouldn't be homogenous but biased to such NiFe clasts. However, I
doubt that there's much metallic NiFe left in any sample of Dho 025 since
Dho 025 is famous for its very long terrestrial residence time of about 250K
years (longer than any other lunar meteorite, recovered thus far). Dho 025
is thouroughly weathered, and more terrestrialized than any other lunaite I
know of. It would take me by surprise if any metall partical in the breccia
would have survived up to this day.

Best,
Norbert

-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----

Hi Don,

I bought a crumb and I was more than skeptic too.
Beside that it looked to vesicular, the story the seller told can't be true.
She stated that her husband acquired a chunk through ebay at a time were the
finder sold it exclusively
and indeed he never sold fragments or endcuts but only thin slices. My
specimen was fairly thick, had no cut faces,
thus wasn't broke off from a slice. The main mass of Dho 025, was sold
later, can't stem from it.
I planned to show it to the finder, Serge Afanasjev from cometshop, who else
could judge better and to the lunar master, Norbert Classen, but I have to
confess, that my piece got lost in my chaotic strewnfield (Perhaps the cat
kicked it behind the piano).
I also told Illinois-Arnold, that it might be not a good idea to use his
piece to fabricate giveaways, but he didn't care.
So I suggest, that you or any other who took a substantial fragment, may
send it to the IMCA-Europe-chief Norbert Classen,
who also will meet the finder Afanasjev on the end of October at the Munich
show.

Cheers!
Martin

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Merchant" <dmerchan_at_rochester.rr.com>

> Hi List.
> I know we talked about this around 8 months ago. Several collectors
> purchased a Lunar meteorite named Dhofar 025 from an ebay seller named
> floridacoaster. There was no COA and I was told by floridacoaster that her
> husband- (passed away and Dhofar 025 was in his meteorite collection she
was
> selling with help from her son) -bought Dhofar 025 back in February 2002
> from a dealer on ebay. These pieces that were sold by floridacoaster were
> all fragments. Last I heard was Dhofar 025 was never sold in fragments but
> only in slices. There are some of you out there that purchased Dhofar 025
> from floridacoaster. Has any one had it checked out by a lab? Can anyone
out
> there set the record straight. I my self was caught up in buying a
fragment
> thinking "what if this is the real thing" A neo magnet has no problem
> attracting it. It also looks very much like the close up pics of Dhofar
025.
> I would be willing to send my specimen out to a trustworthy expert if no
has
> allready done so. Steve Arnold from Chicago, I know you purchased a piece.
> What else have you found out? Thanks Don Merchant---emflocater
>
Received on Sat 27 Aug 2005 08:03:35 AM PDT