[meteorite-list] Fake "Dhofar 025" Lunars (sold by 'floridacoaster' on Ebay)

From: Norbert Classen <trifid_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Nov 13 17:36:33 2005
Message-ID: <200511132240.jADMe1Bp005430_at_ev1.craft.de>

Dear List Members,

You may recall the "floridacoaster" eBay auctions for dirt-cheap "Dhofar
025" lunar specimens? If not, here's a link to a copy of one of these
auctions:

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Eebaywrong/auction/6531307234.pdf

Some list members acquired pieces of this alledged lunar material, and a few
months ago the question arose if this is actually the real McCoy or some
fake material. In the meantime, I have been suplied with representative
samples of the 'floridacoaster' stuff by two list members. Both provided me
with their respective samples, and with the accompanying paperwork/
certificates/correspondence.

The results of my study (just confirmed by Dr. Juergen Otto, a seasoned
meteoriticist, and petrologist) show that the samples sold by
'floridacoaster' are terrestrial pyroclastites (volcanic rocks), or to be
more specific, pieces of an ignimbrite (a brecciated type of volcanic tuff
with clasts of vesicular pumice-stone). Comparisons with pieces of the real
Dhofar 025 show just a superficial resemblance that is more or less confined
to the color of the samples. A close inspection shows that they are very
different, and that they haven't much in common. Most of our members who
bought this stuff were certainly fooled because they had no real Dhofar 025
to compare with.

The worst part of this whole story is that there is much evidence for the
fact that this wasn't an innocent mistake by 'floridacoaster' but a
deliberate act of fraud. One of the tuff samples has an artificial fusion
crust, obviously created by using a welding torch on the stone.
(Interestingly, Dhofar 025 is known for its very long terrestrial residence
time, and for the total absence of fusion crust, something that should have
been a warning sign for the more educated buyers.) Adding to that, the
sample was also accompanied by a forged document (a Certificate of
Authenticity for another, totally unrelated lunaite from Dhofar, originally
signed in 2003 by Prof. Bischoff, Institut fuer Planetologie, Germany). The
fake document provided by 'floridacoaster' was a 1:1 copy (though on a
American paper format, and not on the original European DIN A4 format) -
with a forged date (dated back to 2000!), and fake phone and Fax numbers
that would leed the inquiring buyer nowhere. There are other indications
that this has been a delibarate, and systematic fraud, and thanks to
'floridacoaster' we now have more than one dozen fake lunar samples in the
hand of collectors, and on the market. A former member used his multiple
wins from 'floridacoaster' as giveaways (after he had been warned that this
might not be the real thing), and other samples were sold or traded.

Please be watchful for these samples. The fake "Dho 025" must be taken out
of circulation, and the buyers/owners must be informed. If you are one of
the buyers, you will certainly try to get your money back from
'floridacoaster', and you might also be interested in advising eBay and the
Florida Attorney General's office of this fraud. It will be my pleasure to
answer further questions, on- and off-list.

Take care,
Norbert Classen
Vice-President, IMCA, Inc.
IMCA #7606

In order to view this article on the IMCA Homepage, just follow the
hyperlink: http://imca.repetti.net/metinfo/scam_lunar.html
Received on Sun 13 Nov 2005 05:36:24 PM PST