molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Thought I'd share some recent acquisitions (eBay is a dangerous place...).
I like interesting textures and these fit the bill nicely. First up is a small part slice of NWA 978, a rumurutiite (R3.8). Only 9 examples are known. Of this one, approximately 1 kg was recovered. This is a 2.21g specimen. The chondrules in it are just spectacular, almost a stained glass effect at higher magnification, despite being opaque.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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And a closeup of the chondrules. The orange on black is quite striking.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Next up is 7.04g part slice of the Lahoma L5 condrite. A somgle 21.8 kilo stone was recovered in 1963. This one had a quite green-toned interior.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Close up of the Lahoma.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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#3 on the list is a nearly complete 20.59g slice of Oum Dreyga, an H3-5 ordinary chondrite. This was a witnessed fall on Oct 16, 2003 when Moroccan soldiers in the Western Sahara saw the fireball. This is a brecciated sample and you can see a distict change of lithology on the right end where the color goes a slightly deeper grey and the chondrules become much more obvious. Note the single large chondrule in the upper right, 5mm on the long dimension.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Closeup of the right hand edge.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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One day I'll get a sample of the CV3 Allende meteorite. Until then, I have this sample of NWA 3118, a carbonaceous chondrite from Morocco. TKW is 5.9 kilos and it was recovered in 2003. This has the most obvious and well-defined chondrules of any sample in my collection.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Closeup of the chondrules. These are very sharp.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Almost as crisp as the previous one is NWA 4440, an H3.9 chondrite found in 2005. TKW is 403g and this specimen weights 6.6g.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Here is a closeup of NWA 4440. There is not quite as much contrast between chondrule and matrix as in the CV3 but it's still a pretty stone.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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You may have noted the porosity of NWA 4440. NWA 2380, an LL5 chondrite is even more porous. When I first saw it, my initial reaction was "that's gotta bie a piece of concrete!" This is 21.68g part slice from a single 4.526kg stone.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Look at all that pore space! Almost seems like it should float (but it doesn't!).
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Ok, last one for this series. Here is 23.96g part slice of NWA 4971, an H5 chondrite recovered in 2005. TKW is 4.895kg. This one was really cool because of all the metal inside.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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And the final shot showing the reflection of all the little metal flakes inside. Really cool!
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
   
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14586
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Sweet specimens! I really like the NWA 3118. It's matrix looks very similar to Allende. The only thing missing is the Allende name.
I've cooled my own jets on buying lately because money has been tight around the household. My usual daily flood in the mailbox has been reduced to a trickle. But I have still managed to acquire a few specimens under the CFO radar. 
Some are fairly routine and not really worth posting a photo - like some common Odessa small iron fragments I scored recently for the grand sum of about $5.
Here is one very nice Sikhote specimen I just picked up on eBay - this is destined for my personal collection. The photos in the auction are dark and not good, but I saved them to my desktop and brightened them in Photoshop. There are a lot of nice regmaglypts hiding that dark image! The price was right, so I snagged it. It hasn't arrived yet, so I don't have any better photos of it. 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270222325487
One specimen I am very happy with is my new 9+ gram piece of dark-veined Libyan Desert Glass. Reknowned dealer and Carancas Hunter Michael Farmer bought many kilos of LDG in a giant shipment and he sorted through picking out the best pieces for sale to collectors. The low-quality stuff in the batch is destined for Chinese jewelry makers. At the insane price of $5 a gram, he was selling this superb LDG that is loaded down with inclusions. It looks marbled - very clear and then suddenly dark and smoky. I have attached a photo at the end of this post.
Steve, for comparison to your NWA Allende-lookalike, here is a tiny microslice of Allende from my own collection - as you can see, the matrix is nearly identical to the sample you have. 
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj24/Meteoritethrower/Meteorites/The%20Collection/allende-1.jpg
Here's a nice shot of Millbillillie's matrix :
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj24/Meteoritethrower/Meteorites/The%20Collection/millbill-2.jpg
You probably saw this one in another thread, but it's a recent acquisition, so I'll show it off again! 
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj24/Meteoritethrower/Meteorites/The%20Collection/garza-1.jpg
Here are links to both of the dark LDG photos (front and back) :
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj24/Meteoritethrower/Meteorites/The%20Collection/dark-glass-2.jpg http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj24/Meteoritethrower/Meteorites/The%20Collection/dark-glass-1.jpg
I don't recall if we discussed this already, but do you have a good 10x loupe?
Regards and clear falling skies!
MikeG
-------------------- Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
   
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14586
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I won this recently also. It arrived yesterday and the photos do not do it justice. It's a great idea - etched and then tumbled Campo pieces. They are then sealed to prevent oxidation. I bought this one to test the quality and I am pleased. I am giving this one as a gift to my son-in-law (in part for designing my business banner) and I'm getting a bigger one for myself.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=380012227762
If you are looking for Campos, this guy has some nice ones. BTW, I am not affiliated with him in any way, although maybe I should be!
-------------------- Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Thanks, Mike.
Nifty stuff there! You're right, the Allende and 3118 are pretty close. I, too, have a nice piece of LDG but without any inclusions. However, it does have one face that is fantastically carved by wind-blown sand into a series of small scallops. The other sides are more evenly rounded off.
I do have a 10x loupe. It does not appear to have a brand or trademark but was clearly the nicest of the several models they had at the shop, with a much flatter field of focus to it allowing the entire FOV to come to focus. All the others had horrid aberations making the usable FOV less than 1/2 the lens. Price was around $20.
Clear skies.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
   
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2031
Loc: Central Coast, California
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Mike, looks like the link to your item is no longer working (pulled due to age). Do you have another pic somewhere?
I got a nice large (maybe 8 pound?) campo a couple years ago and have been waiting for the right etched slice to come along to complement it.
-------------------- Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
   
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14586
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Steve, try the link now, I fixed it.
-------------------- Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Jamie76
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/30/05
Posts: 582
Loc: Northern Wisconsin
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Very nice. I really wish I could increase my collection but I'm starting a family (getting married soon) and meteorites have taken a backseat.
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