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About 20 years ago I ran into a friend of a friend who was what can only be described as a meteorite fanatic. (He has since moved on to become the leading collector in the world of Casio digital watches….) For at least 2 or 3 hours I pumped him for information, captivated by the concept that it was possible to actually own a meteorite, myself. As a child I had been fascinated by the thought - but automatically had somehow ruled it out as an actual possibility.
Within months I was collecting and within a short period I began dealing, buying what I could and advertising in Lapidary Journal and the like, building a mailing list, etc.
Within a couple of years I had read multiple books, built up quite a business and actually had established dealings with several sellers of meteorites. I began selling to the San Diego Space Museum and came to know Art, who was the museum store manager and who would pump me for information as he became more and more interested.
Art was primarily a web designer and asked me for information to include in an "Example" web page for his business, having decided to give it a meteorite theme.
Within a short period of time he asked me to host a weekly "Meteorite Chat" on Sunday evenings, which changed days over the weeks according to availability of chat members and that morphed into "The List" and has continued to this day.
During this time I became friends with Paul Harris who offered to help me put together a Meteorite Web Site. For all practical purposes, there were none at the time - Bob Haag had a single page, simply providing contact information - more like a full page business card than what we now think of as a web site.
Paul designed a real web site for me with actual links and put "up" my catalog. I posted multiple articles on meteorites, meteorite hunting, etc. Some of those articles are still up. It should be noted that without the extensive and selfless help of Paul Harris I would not have achieved what he has made possible.
Another fascination I had had since childhood was the cant of the auctioneer. I researched the topic and learned there were several Auctioneer Schools. I determined I would attend the oldest (and best - declared by Newsweek to be "the Harvard of Auctioneering Schools" and the one LeeRoy Van Dyke sang about in "The Auctioneer’s Song).
I was determined to hold an annual meteorite auction at both the Tucson Show and the Denver Show & began doing so in the year 2000. I offered the newly formed Colorado Meteorite Society (COMETS) half my fee at the Denver Auction to help get their club off to a solid start. Since that time the COMETS took over the auction and have continued since. I have continued yearly since 2000 in Tucson.
Voyage! Magazine asked me to write an ongoing column and I began METEORITE MARKET TRENDS which appeared in each issue of Voyage! throughout its 5 years of publication.
At the conclusion of Voyage! Paul Harris and Jim Tobin began publishing a monthly on line magazine, THE METEORITE TIMES and asked me to continue my column in their magazine, which I have done monthly ever since.
One of the greatest honors I was given was the Harvey Award for my functioning as an ambassador for the meteoritic community in my roll in presenting The Tucson Meteorite Auction.
I am surely the world’s worst meteorite hunter. After hundreds of hours hunting in 12 different well known strewn fields (including, but not limited to, Holbrook, Glorietta, Gold Basin, Correo, Lucern Dry Lake and others with some of the best hunters alive (including John Blennert & Steve Shoner) I still have found only ONE specimen: an 11.18g Correo.
I am a rabid meteorite collector first and a dealer second. I am particularly enamored by hammers
and I get more from meeting and making new meteorite friends than I do from the meteorites, themselves.
As for the meteorites, I have been obsessed for a number of years with hammers.
Currently I am working on a book on meteorite orientation and on another book on meteorite hammers (meteorites that have struck man made objects, animals or humans).
- ABBREVIATED OVERVIEW -
1) Over 20 years as a meteorite collector,dealer and hunter.
2) One of the first 3 or 4 meteorite web sites on the net.
3) Hosted Meteorite Chat sponsored by Meteorite Central for several months before there was a switch over
to The Meteorite List.
4) Conducted the first Meteorite Auction at The Tucson Show in 2000 and have continued every year since.
5) Conducted the first Meteorite Auction at The Denver Show.
6) Author of the column, METEORITE MARKET TRENDS for entire duration of the publication, "Voyage!" and,
since its inception, in "Meteorite Times" by Paul Harris and Jim Tobin of The Meteorite Exchange.
7) Recipient of the Harvey Award.
8) Currently working on two books: METEORITE ORIENTATION and METEORITES THAT HIT THINGS, ANIMALS
And PEOPLE.
9) World’s worst meteorite hunter. After hundreds of hours in 12 different well known strewn fields (including,
but not limited to, Holbrook, Glorietta, Gold Basin, Correo, Lucern Dry Lake Bed, etc.) with some
of the best hunters alive (including John Blennert & Steve Shoner) and still have found only ONE
specimen: a 11.18g Correo.
10) I am a rabid collector first and a dealer second. I am particularly enamored by hammers.
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