Lunar Meteorite Buyers Guide
Real Lunar Meteorites Are Exceedingly Rare
I will start off by stating that Lunar Meteorites are not commodities. There is no set price per gram since they differ greatly from one another with varying degrees of provenance, scientific importance, weathering, preparation, history and aesthetic qualities to name few variables. Genuine meteorites from the Moon are exceedingly rare, millions of times rarer than diamonds. The total mass of all lunar meteorites combined is 177 kilograms or 390 pounds consisting of 139 meteorites (72 listed as official in The Meteoritical Bulletin.)
The Problem Started About 2012 Beginning Around NWA 7XXX
The few examples that were discovered before 2012 were managed properly for the most part. It was not until about 2012, starting with Northwest Africa (NWA) series numbers exceeding NWA 7000, when real problems started to take place. Moroccan dealers, acting as middlemen for the finders in Northwest Africa, began offering material directly at the big Gem and Mineral shows like Tucson and Denver with piggy-backed (stolen) nomenclature (NWA numbers.) They fraudulently adopted these numbers based on visual appearance alone to official meteorites that were actually studied, peer-reviewed and listed in the Meteoritical Bulletin. They completely bypassed the Meteoritical Society and the Nomenclature Committees violating protocol set in place to protect collectors and scientific laboratories alike.
Reputable dealers used to acquire “stones” directly from Northwest Africa, submit a type specimen to a recognized laboratory, wait for the laboratory results and then wait some more for the Nomenclature Committee to assign an official name before placing them on the market. Notice I used the word “stones” instead of Lunar Meteorites. This is because the convention used by professionals is that you cannot call a stone a meteorite until it has gone through the proper classification protocols. Genuine lunar meteorites are far too important to bypass this process that has been in place longer than these so-called “dealers” who place untested and unproven material on the market.
Reputable Dealers Avoid Most Post 2012, NWX 7XXX-11XXX Material
Needless to say, the majority of reputable dealers and savvy collectors avoid these self-paired “meteorites” forcing Moroccan dealers to dump this material at the shows and online. Self-paired means to assume a stone is the same as an official meteorite based on general appearance and then piggy-backing (stealing) its official number or nomenclature (name.) Some less-than-honorable “dealers” purchased this untested, unstudied and unofficial material and placed it on the market with no intention whatsoever of following proper protocol. There is a substantial amount of terrestrial and other types of meteorites mixed in so you do not know for sure what you will get.
To make matters even worse, some of these unscrupulous dealers infiltrated the membership of the International Meteorite Collectors Association (IMCA) which is all about authenticity. The IMCA bylaws state that the Meteoritical Society rules are to be strictly followed which has not been the case lately with many of its members acting as dealers. It is too bad these dealers, lacking a moral compass, are soiling the IMCA’s good name.
Provenance:
A provenance check is imperative on all prospective lunar meteorite purchases, especially those with NWA numbers over 7000. Fortunately there is an online database provided by the Meteoritical Society. Simply type the NWA number into the search field, click on the result and look for the person’s name who submitted the meteorite for study. If the name doesn’t match the person who is dealing it or an accompanying ID card from the person who is listed in the bulletin, then some serious questions about the chain of custody need to be asked. It is up to the person dealing the “lunar meteorite” to provide provenance from the very beginning so make sure you get a full chain-of-custody from them before making a purchase. You may find that the stone you purchased without proper provenance is worthless on the secondary market. I would also advise checking on previous purchases and demand a full refund if the provenance is not in order.
Link to Meteoritical Bulletin Data Base Search: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/
Terms That Should Raise Serious Concerns:
Paired – If the dealer’s name doesn’t match the name listed in the Meteoritical Bulletin for the pairing number he is using, then a provenance check is imperative. The dealer should provide you with a complete chain of custody back to the name provided in the Bulletin. If they cannot provide this information, then it is not worth pursuing.
Link to Meteoritical Bulletin Data Base Search: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/
Likely Paired – In other words, no scientist or laboratory has looked at it and likely never will meaning it is worthless.
Clan – A friendly way of saying it is unofficial and no steps will ever be taken to make it official.
Provisional – Is supposed to mean that it is waiting for official classification and nomenclature assignment. If it were a genuine lunar meteorite, then why can’t the dealer wait to have it made official?
Classification Pending – Another way of saying the stone is not official and has not yet been approved or may never be approved by the Meteoritical Society. If a classification were really pending, a reputable dealer would simply wait before releasing it to the market.
Unclassified Lunar – I like this one since it sounds honest at first glance. A more honest statement would be, “it looks like a lunar to me but you will have to send in a 20% or 20 gram type sample to a Meteoritical Society approved laboratory, pay the fees and wait a year to find out if it is indeed a lunar meteorite.”
Will Be Studied – I would ask the dealer by who and when? If no arrangements have been made for its study by an accredited laboratory then run away, don’t walk, since it is just another fraud
Identical To – Means absolutely nothing without laboratory confirmation.
Things To Watch Out For:
No Name – Means it has not been studied and more than likely is a terrestrial stone.
Improper Name – Some use NWA XXXX instead of a number or worse yet, use official sounding names that they came up with themselves. It is best to avoid this type of material.
Uncut Stones And Fragments – How could it have been studied when a cut surface is required to perform laboratory classification work and deliver a type specimen to make it official? At the very least, you should be provided with the scientist’s name and contact information, for verification purposes, that determined that these exact uncut stones and fragments are indeed lunar meteorites in their opinion.
Ridiculously Cheap Buy-It-Now Prices – You have heard the saying “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn’t.” Just check on eBay for real lunar meteorites that predate 2012/NWA 7000 with good provenance and you will see that the prices are about ten to twenty times higher. This is because they are much more likely to be genuine, were managed properly and the correct steps were taken in their formal classifications. These older NWA lunar meteorites are also well-established with collectors, museums and the scientific community who are now leery of the most recent offerings with a very poor track record thus far. The main problem is that would-be buyers now have to wade through hundreds of listings to find valid, well-managed and official lunar meteorites. Another old saying is, “You get what you pay for.”
Not Enough Information – Some dealers simply post a Meteoritical Bulletin entry in their descriptions and do not discuss how they came into possession of the material. If the seller’s name doesn’t match the Meteoritical Bulletin entry then some explanation is required for provenance purposes. Some simply claim, “from the finder to you” which means there was absolutely no scientific verification whatsoever involved with what they are trying to sell and what they are offering is basically worthless. I would demand the seller provide enough information to make an informed purchasing decision otherwise I would suggest simply walking away from the deal.
Number Of Stones Exceeds Meteoritical Bulletin Entry – It is interesting that many of these self-paired stones are being offered by the dozens under the same NWA number when much less than the number offered on eBay is listed in the Meteoritical Bulletin. I have seen an entry in the Meteoritical Bulletin where five fragments were listed as the official number of meteorites classified under a pairing number yet over fifty were being offered or already sold eBay, a clear case of fraud!
More Pictures And Information About Themselves Than The Stone – What are they trying to sell, themselves or the stone? I have seen descriptions that include one image of the stone with only two or three vague comments about it. The rest of the description was filled with paragraphs and images of themselves. It should be about the material and not somebody’s attempt at shameless self-promotion. A genuine lunar meteorite will out survive somebody’s 15 minutes of fame by centuries. This is another case where a lot of questions need to be asked. Personalities do not add credibility to meteorites, research scientists, laboratories and committee’s do!
Lousy Material Preparation - It has been my experience that dealers who do not have enough pride to finish slices by polishing out saw marks also take other shortcuts including not getting their material formally classified. Saw marks or polishing on a single side only are a good indication the dealer is not interested in presentation, just a quick buck.
Moldavites And Tektites – Did not originate from the Moon.
The purchasing of actual meteorites from the Moon should be an exciting and fun event. I wrote this guide in an effort to help buyers avoid the pitfalls of being defrauded out of their hard earned money. It seems that no steps are being taken to police the market anymore, possibly due to the overwhelming amount of fraud these days. It is my hopes that it will save some prospective buyers from a lot of future grief. There is no room for any amount of fraudulent activity whatsoever which is definitely on the rise lately. It hurts honest dealers and collectors alike. I wish you well in your endeavor to acquire genuine material from our nearest celestial neighbor, The Moon!
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