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What Can I Do With My Meteorite? 72

Posted by Cliff from the pet-rocks-from-outer-spaaace dept.
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!"
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What Can I Do With My Meteorite? More

What Can I Do With My Meteorite?

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  • Biatch!~

  • sell it to lex luthor (Score:3, Funny)

    by larry bagina ( 561269 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @03:54PM (#4398200) Journal
    but only if it has kryptonite in it!

  • interesting idea... (Score:2, Informative)

    by dacarr ( 562277 )
    Have an assay done. See what's in it.

    • Re:interesting idea... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by R2.0 ( 532027 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @05:06PM (#4398538)
      To expand a little...

      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
      and
      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.
      • Safety deposit boxes are not necessarily safe; banks I've dealt with are explicitly not responsible for the safety of the contents of safety deposit boxes. There's probably some sort of guaranteed insured storage available soemwhere, but the consumer-grade safety deposit boxes are not it, in my experience. YMMV.
        • "Safety deposit boxes are not necessarily safe; banks I've dealt with are explicitly not responsible for the safety of the contents of safety deposit box"

          True; but it's more of a cost-benefit thing - a safe deposit box has a hell of a lot more security for far less $$ than a safe oen could install at home, especially if it's short term ('till it gets appraised, etc.)

          "There's probably some sort of guaranteed insured storage available soemwhere..."

          The magic word is "insured." One can't get ANY insurance until one has an idea of what an object's worth, and he needs to store it in a secure place WHILE he figures that out.

      • Re:interesting idea... (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        >To expand a little...

        In general good advice, but you need to indicate why it's worth the bother. These things can be quite valuable, ranging from $10/g up to more or less priceless if you have one with something like organic matter embedded in it (not bits shot off Darth Vader's TIE fighter, but things like seashells if it impacted on sand). You can do one of three things with it:

        1. Keep it to remember your Grandfather. Probably the best option (I wouldn't sell an heirloom).

        2. Donate it to a local museum. They'll appreciate the gift, and it'll be enjoyed by many others over the years. You can still remember you Grandfather if it's in a museum, take the kids in and tell them "That's Granddad's meteorite" (and show them the rest of the place while they're there).

        3. If you really must, sell it. Don't do it on ebay, there are other places (e.g. newsgroups) where collectors gather where you can get a decent price (and more advice as well).

        • 1. Keep it to remember your Grandfather. Probably the best option (I wouldn't sell an heirloom).

          2. Donate it to a local museum. They'll appreciate the gift, and it'll be enjoyed by many others over the years. You can still remember you Grandfather if it's in a museum, take the kids in and tell them "That's Granddad's meteorite" (and show them the rest of the place while they're there).

          I know next to nothing about this (but this is ./ so why should that stop me?) but I think there is a way for you to combine these two options. I believe you can maintain ownership of this but have it displayed/studied in a museum -- as I recall, this is sometimes the case with artwork, so it may apply to this as well.

          Probably the best people to talk to about how to go about this are museum curators and/or researchers/professors. Or talk to the appraiser about what your possible next steps are -- they will probably have more relevant experience.

  • Congradulations. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Drakin ( 415182 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @04:01PM (#4398234)
    You've go one hell of a big paper weight.
  • With all of the mystique/legend/myth of meterites being the seed of life, you should keep it and display it. It should remind you of your mortality and the nature of creation. If viewed properly its quite a religious AND scientific object.

    How much do you want for it? :)
    • Have you seen the movie Joe Dirt? The guy finds a meteorite and puts it in a wagon and carries it around. He puts ketchup on it and eats french fries off of it, he loves it. He needs money one day so he tries to sell it, but upon inspection he learns it is a frozen piece of shit that fell from an airplane. :)

      I hope this guy had his meteorite inspected before he ends up like Joe Dirt.

      "I'm your sister!"

  • Depends how pretty it is, but some jewellery could be a neat idea, cos you just know theres plenty of people who will want it cos its pretty and from outer space, man.

    That said, plenty of people will want it pureley because it's from outer space, no matter how CowboyNeal-ugly it looks.

    Ebay it at some stupid price first though, just in case theres anyone out there with a money/sense ratio even worse than Prince Jefri of Brunei.

    Ali

    • Re:Jewellery!!! (Score:3, Informative)

      by Deagol ( 323173 )
      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 [metalsmiths.com] and their meteorite jewlery [metalsmiths.com]. I've been eyeing some of these items for years (for the cool factor), but I haven't taken the time to order yet.
      • I've been eyeing some of these items for years (for the cool factor), but I haven't taken the time to order yet.


        You must be using some other definition of the word cool that I'm unfamiliar with :)

    • 34 lbs meteorite? That's not jewelry; that's the friggin Stone of Triumph.
  • Seems to me that this sort of thing has a research value at least, if not a monitary value. If you can't care for it I would hope it either goes someplace that benefits everyone. For some items a private collector will give it a good home, but other things belong in a museum or an archive.

    Like when you see that $450,000 table in the Antique Road Show. If you had it, you'd have to sell it unless you could adaquately care for it. Not necessarily to the highest bidder either.

  • donate it... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Dukebytes ( 525932 )
    try here... The Natural History Museum in London [nhm.ac.uk]

    I bet that they would put your grandfather's name on the sign that describes it and such... Not to be cold, and very sorry for your loss, but it would kind of immortalize him in a little way.

    Duke

  • Donate it to a local museum, university, or other place where it will be appreciated.
    • Not to be too cynical, but it's probably not that big (even at 30+lbs), so what'll most likely happen is that it'll get measured, tagged, boxed, and placed in the Northeast Annex Sub-Basement (2nd shelf on the right) until it turns out that meteorites cure impotence and/or baldness.
  • Have it appraised and then sell it if you don't appreciate it enough to keep it. I'm guessing it's probably mostly metallic considering the mass that survived. It's worth a very pretty penny if you can verify its authenticity.

  • Your grandfather just died... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    and all you can think about is posting to slashdot?
  • Use it to weaken Superman so you can destroy him!

  • Sell it. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Perdo ( 151843 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @04:25PM (#4398370) Homepage Journal
    Price Guide [geocities.com]

    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 it is worth $100/gram it would be worth about 1.5 million dollars.

    But it tends to be a sliding scale with heavier items being worth more per gram.

    If you won the lotto would you turn around and donate all the money to the Smithsonian? Hell no. Sell it.

  • Run for the hills! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kanon ( 152815 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @04:33PM (#4398403)
    I bet it's got a little blob inside. Careful or it'll devour your entire town.
  • Beowolf cluster? I cant think of many practical uses for a rock.

  • Consider keeping it (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GuyMannDude ( 574364 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @04:50PM (#4398480) Journal

    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

    • Re:Consider keeping it (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Screw that... Cash out and keep one of the $100 bills as a reminder. Every $100 is also unique.
  • If you DO sell it, please, tell us how much you got for it! I'm sure other slashdotters would love to know how much you sold it for.

    Regards, Guspaz.

  • Geeky dice (Score:3, Funny)

    by waytoomuchcoffee ( 263275 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @04:55PM (#4398501)
    Your a nerd aren't you? Make it into Polyhedral Dice [originsgames.net].
  • Give it to me!!! I'll be glad to take it off your hands and put it to uh, educational usage within my home-based lab environment. :)

  • dice it up... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by onomatomania ( 598947 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @05:04PM (#4398530)
    Break it up into chunks and sell them for their Super Mystical Energy Powers to the New Age loons...

  • Keep it (Score:2, Informative)

    by Sandman1971 ( 516283 )
    My suggestion: keep it; don't sell it or give it away. THis is of course, assuming, you had an ok/good relationship with your grandfather. THis is something that will always remind you of him. Something that he passed along to you, probably knowing full well how much it meant to you. Don't sell it or give it away, or you'll end up regretting it in the long run. Even if you have to leave it on the closet floor or in a cardboard box somewhere.

    What I do suggest, however, is to get it appraised. Make sure it is indeed a meteorite. If it's worth a significant sum; get it insured. At 100$/gram as suggested by other Slashdot readers, it might be worth to keep in some type of bank vault storage. You could then use it for things like collateral on buying a house, etc....

    So don't do anything rash, don't think of just the short term.

  • Something to note (Score:4, Interesting)

    by quantax ( 12175 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @05:24PM (#4398623) Homepage
    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.

    • Re:Something to note (Score:3, Informative)

      by p7 ( 245321 )
      I doubt the availability of meteorites will jump at the rise in space travel. A meteorite is essentially an asteroid that didn't completely burn up on the entry to the atmosphere. This differentiates them from the asteroids that your space programs will be grabbing. It may lose some value, because of this, but it is more unique than just some space rock that someone snatches up.

  • I have an idea! (Score:4, Funny)

    by SealTit ( 606480 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @05:54PM (#4398740) Homepage
    Sounds like it could make for one hell of a casemod!

  • The best idea (Score:3, Funny)

    by mnmn ( 145599 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @07:14PM (#4399070) Homepage
    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.
  • Such as this:

    Skull [dinosauria.com]

  • Do you have any kids or grandkids? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Tom7 ( 102298 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @09:00PM (#4399538) Homepage Journal
    If you have kids or grandkids, you could uh, die.

  • I have to agree... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cr0sh ( 43134 ) on Sunday October 06, 2002 @09:36PM (#4399681) Homepage
    With the posters who have said "keep it" as a reminder of your grandfather. At the same time, I would get it appraised, and if valuable, put it in a bank vault or something.

    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)...

    • I've seen one meteorite - it was at the local Science World. It was an iron one, about the size of 3 softballs mushed together. It was hanging from 3 chains on a stand so you could lift it up to see how heavy it was. The had drilled and placed three large hooks into the thing - not something I'd expect to happen to something worth a million dollars.

      Kinda cool to pick up something from 'outer space'.

  • Tribute (Score:3, Insightful)

    by pete-classic ( 75983 ) <hutnick@gmail.com> on Sunday October 06, 2002 @11:37PM (#4400365) Homepage Journal
    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
  • Step 1. Inherit large 'space rock' from grandfather...
    Step 2. Post to /. telling the world of your latest procurement...

    ...

    Step 4. Profit!!!
  • I am sure you will be able to find something [ebay.com] to do with it...

  • In trust... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Goldsmith ( 561202 )
    If you have a local natural history museum, consider leaving it with them. You can probably set something up so that you still own it, but they get to display it and hold on to it for you.
  • Don't break it and let the juice out.

    "Meteor shit! Awww, Jordy Verrill, you lunkhead."

  • Collectible Knives (Score:3, Informative)

    by Cy Guy ( 56083 ) on Monday October 07, 2002 @05:45PM (#4406186) Homepage Journal
    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 [hypermart.net].

    You could sell it to the knife company [onlineknifeshow.com] for the knife [hiwaay.net] and a nice chunk of cash.

    I recall there was a slashdot story on Damascus steel [slashdot.org] 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.

  • Forge a longsword +3, hopefully you got yourself some admantium there..
  • http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPIC ommand=GetResult&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&ht=1&que ry=meteorite Sell the mother sucker and run! Unless of course you have severe emotional attachment to it. Then just set a reserve!
  • Why not split the difference between these two alternatives? You could *loan* it to a museum.

    a) You become a patron of the sciences, gaining valuable social contacts (and free dinners).
    b) You get good feelings about sharing a piece of the family history with others.
    c) Young people can learn and be inspired to choose a career in the sciences.
    d) It's still yours, so if you decide to sell it later on eBay, you can.

    Chip H.

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