An Article In
Meteorite-Times Magazine
This feature is devoted each month to one of the personalities within the meteorite community. This month we are delighted to share an interview we had with Meteorite Dealer Michael Blood.
What or who got
you interested in meteorites and how old were you when
you got your first meteorite?
There was never a time I was NOT
interested in meteorites except before I ever heard of them. However, I just
sort of naively never knew you could possibly own one, yourself. Therefore, it
wasn't until I met a friend of a friend one night about 15 years ago that I
learned differently. He is a San Diego fellow who has been collecting for many,
many years. He is one of the most single minded individuals you will ever meet.
In all the years I have known him he has never spoken more than a few words
about ANYTHING other than meteorites, dinosaurs and lasers. He is, without any
doubt in my mind, the most knowledgeable person (with the possible
exception of Bernd) in the meteorite world I have ever encountered. (I once
asked about a meteorite he had never seen and he knew all the facts about it
that were in the "blue book." He May well have what others call a "photographic
memory"). In any event, he told me about meteorites that night & I pumped him
for info for about two and a half hours. However, it wasn't until about six
months later that I ran into him at the San Diego County Fair in the Gem and
Mineral display area where he had about 30 feet of display area full of
meteorites and books, etc. It was there I spent another two or three hours and
bought my first meteorite. From there, I read FIND A FALLING STAR by Nininger,
and that was the end of all sanity.
What was your first meteorite?
My first specimen was, of course, a Canyon Diablo. Affordable and representative
of the only fall with which I was familiar prior to that time. The irony here
is, at that time Bruce had a couple of slices of Esquel the size of playing
cards. They were, of course, stunningly beautiful. However, they were an
incredibly "expensive" $200! That would be such a steal today.
Do you still have it?
Probably, but I no longer know which one it is. I have always saved the best
Canyon Diablo specimens that have come through my hands.. I have dozens of them.
There is something about CDs that "do it" for me. So, I have one by my seat in
the den, one on my key chain, several on my desk, one on my motor home key
chain, etc.
Do you have special areas of interest that you focus on in
regards to meteorites (thin sections, photography, chemistry, age dating.. etc)?
Over the course of time, I have gone through various areas of interest.
Currently, I am obsessed with meteorites that have struck and/or killed things
cars, mailboxes, horses, cows, barns, etc. Of course the ones that have struck
animals are particularly appealing and Sylacauga, which struck the woman is one
of my REALLY treasured specimens. (I had to trade both lunar and Martian
specimens for that small piece). Did you know a specimen of Plainview struck a
horse corral? That is not generally known. I own a NICE slice of that one. I
would kill to get THE Juancheng specimen that flew through the roof and landed
in the pot on the stove or the Barwell specimen that flew through the window
and landed in a plant pot. I have to, instead, content myself with other
specimens of the same events. I was tickled pink to get even the tiny fragments
of the incredibly rare Burnwell (HH) that crashed through the roof of a porch in
1900. I am ever "on the hunt" for specimens such as these. Can't get enough of
them. Tickle me silly. (of course, I had a perverse interest in the now famous
Kichinka-Balke debates over existence or nonexistence of the "Nakhla dog.") For
a long time, I was especially focused on SNCs before the African invasion.
There were only 6 non-Antarctic falls, but only Zagami was readily available,
and though Shergotty and Nakhla were possible to get, they were still rare and
VERY expensive. However, Governadore Valadares and Lafayette were impossible to
get and though Chassigny had, at one time been available in the not too distant
past, it had been only a few grams and they had all disappeared into personal
collections before I had "discovered" meteorites. It is still the most difficult
to obtain. When I was able to get Lafayette and then Governador Valadares, I was
ecstatic. I had traded the farm earlier to get a few dozen tiny flakes of
Chassigny, so, now I had all 6 of the non-Antarctic specimens. I put together
tiny sets and sold enough of them (including some to institutions) to cover my
costs to that point and even make a little. I also sold small, mg sized
specimens to a Canadian at this time. He broke those suckers up into such small
pieces he was able to sell so many it reminded me of Jesus feeding the
multitudes with a few fishes and loaves of bread. Of course, he is now famous
starting with the now famous "Bessey specks" and using the capital from that and
other blooming sales and LOTS of hard work to then go onto becoming by far the
largest importer of African material in the US. Along the way, we became friends
and I am very happy for him in his prosperity. He has a cheerful approach to
life, a good sense of humor and an all around nice guy. Back to the SNCs, it was
only a couple of years until the African material came trickling in, however.
There was a great deal of suspicion about much of this material as to when it
was found, how it was being introduced into
the market and what were actual separate falls, etc. Therefore, I lost
substantial interest in SNCs at least in keeping a "complete set" of them.
Pallasites are a passion I cannot afford to indulge in as fully as I would like,
but my macromount collection of them is continuously, if slowly, increasing. I
would LOVE to have softball sized slices of very known variety. Whole stones
have always been a favorite of mine, and I collect multiples of any fall I can
get pea to marble sized specimens of with near 100% fusion crust. Of course,
Holbrook is a classic and, again, Bob Haag's giant bowl full tickled me
endlessly. But I like large whole stones, as well, and one of my favorites in my
collection is the 35kg main mass of Markovka. I smile every time I look upon it.
Does your Family share in your interest in meteorites?
Hardly. My wife has many, many fabulous qualities, but I must content myself
that she has an inkling of appreciation of tektites. And it is interesting how
she developed even that. She is a social worker caring for foster care children
and keeps an office they often visit. She has it full of stuffed animals and
some beautiful amethyst geodes and other mineral specimens I have given her over
the years. A few years ago she saw a pile of broken Tibetanites in my office and
asked about them. I told her what they were and that I wouldn't sell them, but
couldn't bring myself to throw them away due to their rarity and "vibes." She
asked if she could give them to children & I was pleased at such a destiny for
them. Some time that same year she accompanied me to a local Gem Show where
Edwin Thompson was set up. He is a friend of ours and at that show He had some
moldavite and she heard him giving his rap to an interested neophyte and she
then became somewhat appreciative of moldavite. (Never mind that I have by far
the best moldavite collection I have ever seen..). I am grateful, though, even
for that degree of interest. I also appreciate getting no flack for the vast
quantity of time and travel I put into selling meteorites and we have a great
time going to the Tucson show in our motor home. I have a nephew in Albequerque
who has hunted with me in the Glorietta and Correo strewn fields, but not
because he has any particular interest in meteorites though he found a much
larger specimen of Correo than I did. He and I just enjoy the hell out of one
another's company, so, he goes with me. So, that is about the best that can be
had in my family. I have given nieces & nephews meteorite specimens which they
think are "cool" but no one else has caught the disease as I have.
Do you have any special approaches to collecting? (Type
collection, only stones, only irons, only by aesthetics, etc. or any and all
that you like.)
Not really, though, as I said, I am particularly fond of whole stones. Thin
sections delight me Perhaps my "best" collection consists of my macromounts. I
collect by Type, keeping different drawers for each category. My micromounts are
cool, too and, of course, my "hammers," each of which nailed something. Who
could ever have "enough" SNCs and Lunars. I am pretty hopeless, I go for it all.
Except the sliced irons, due to San Diego humidity and salt air.
Do you mind saying how many locations your collection
represents?
That would be hard to say I have ABOUT 180 macromounts in my display cabinet,
but many, many more I have not mounted and labeled yet (I make all the labels
the same), I have dozens and dozens of whole stones fist size and up and dozens
and dozens of marble sized stones, and most of these are duplicated in my
macromount collection and then I have a tone of micromounts, as well. Then
there are about a dozen whole irons. Oh, and over 100 thin sections, but most of
those are also duplicated in the macromount collection. So,
it would be a good day or two worth of work for two people to come close to
being able to produce any sort of list. I am not as well organized as I would
like.
Is your collection displayed or kept in a dry box or both?
Many of my fist sized stones and irons are in a barrister's book case (the kind
with glass doors that rise up like garage doors). The 15 to 25 LB irons are
sitting out on top of cases, desks, etc. The 95 LB New Campo is on the fireplace
hearth in the den. My macromounts are in a far out chest of drawers from India
with very shallow drawers, my micromounts are in a couple of small wood shallow
drawer units, my thin sections are in a couple of 100 count thin section boxes,
and I have about 20 blue print drawers of what are called 'Flat Files' that are incredibly wide and deep and
hold a variety of things such as amber with insects, pre-Columbian artifacts,
arrowheads, meteorites, tektites, etc. Then I have a 20 foot long shipping unit
that is absolutely impenetrable that has some meteorite stuff in it, too. so,
there is a considerable combination of ways I keep my meteorites.
In what ways do you use your computer for meteorites?
Wow, that is nearly endless there is trying to keep up with the newsletter,
making labels, digital photographs (how did we live before digital photos???) my
web site, constantly checking the web sites of others, eBay (buying and selling,
though not really much on eBay), writing articles, taking orders by email,
ordering by email, communicating with other collectors and dealers by email,
making fliers for meteorite
auctions..jeez, the list could go on forever.
What got you interested in becoming a meteorite
auctioneer?
Ever since I was a kid and heard the auctioneer song, and later heard the
tobacco auction in the TV ad in the 50s I have been utterly fascinated with the
auction scene. Then, when I lived in Idaho for a few years in my 20s, I would go
to auctions, which are quite common there. However, it wasn't until I was well
established as a meteorite dealer that I accidentally came across a convention
of auctioneers in a San Diego hotel that it occurred to me I could offer
something different at the Tucson and Denver shows - an auction. So, I
researched all the auction schools and went to the best one: The Missouri
Auction School. I worked my tail off and passed their graduate exams and became
a certified auctioneer. It takes a surprising amount of practice to have just a
decent "chant," but I have a natural knack for "tuning into" a group of bidders
to promote "action" and keep it fun. I have been fortunate in getting a few
non-meteorite gigs to keep in practice "in the off season" and make a few bucks
as well. I became interested in Didgeridoos a couple of years ago and I
convinced the organizers it would be worth while to do a didgeridoo auction at
the annual Joshua Tree Didgeridoo Festival. It was a raging success from the
first year, so, that is some extra fun I have gotten into, as well. I keep
telling myself I should organize an antiques auction in the gay community in San
Diego (which is large and has both good taste and a very large upper middle
class contingent) but I am ALWAYS so far "behind" in my meteorite commitments
and there are always college papers to be graded, and and. A crucial part
of doing auctions in Tucson & Denver, for me is the social aspect it brings to
the meteorite community. There is nothing like an auction to bring people
together at those shows. You can always count on connecting with whoever's at
the show at the auction. Then, of course, there are the meteorites, so, there is
the excitement of getting something new and fascinating for your collection, or,
in some cases, just getting a chance to SEE something you will never see again.
Then, if you are selling, there is the possibility two or more people will get
carried away in the bidding and will HAVE to have what you have put on
consignment - that creates a lot of excitement - there is the opportunity to see
and socialize with other collectors and dealers... it just brings so much to the
table for everyone. It is a totally unique animal unto itself. It is like
nothing else.and.
Do you ever hunt for meteorites?
I think I really must be the world's most unlucky "meteorite hunter." (If you
can call me that, at all). I have hunted Gold Basin for several days (with NO
success, even when I was with John Blennert, and meteorites jump from the ground
into that guy's pockets!), a full day in Glorietta (NO success) a full day in
Lucern Dry Lake (NO success), two days at 29 Palms (NO success), several days
over several years at Hollbrook (NO success, even when I was with Steve Schoner,
one of the world's best hunters and KING of Hollbrook)..seeing a pattern here? I
DID hunt Correo morning and evening for 2 weeks absolutely determined not to
quit until I found a meteorite. I thought I might even fail that one, except on
the very last day I finally found my little 11.82 gram beauty. There is
something about knowing it came from SO far away and no other human had ever
seen it, let alone touched it. So, hunt, yes, find, almost never!
What is your favorite meteorite in your collection?
Well, there is no possibility of a single answer to that one. I have 4 or 5 I
could, perhaps narrow it down to. They are each, literally, "world class"
specimens in one way or another. I have a fabulous oriented Millbillillie that
weighs 224 grams. Just fabulous. Then I also have a 17 LB Gibeon that is so
totally regmaglypted it looks like a giant Imilac "skeleton." I have the famous
Nininger oriented Passamonte what a dear thing that is. Then I have a PERFECT
nosecone oriented 20 gram Gao. There is the unique "hollow" meteorite that was
featured in VOYAGE! and the 35 kg main mass of Markovka. I have a full slice of
Felt 'B' with the L5 and L3.5 matrixes displayed on the face of the slice in
perfect halves. Then, I have the fabulous Sahara 99028 that is in two pieces and
with black fusion crust with evenly patterned splits from centuries in the
desert sun. So, I guess that is 8. There are several others near & dear to me,
but those guys are certainly especially precious
to me.
Thumbnails Of
Favorites
(please click image for full size)
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Oriented Millbillillie |
17 lb Gibeon
|
Oriented Passamonte |
Nosecone Gao |
Hollow Meteorite |
Main Mass Markovka |
Felt "B" | Sahara 99028 |
What makes these
of special interest?
The Millbillillie is SO visually zappy you can just SEE the speed at which the
"face" was abraded away, leaving regmaglypts and flow lines in the beautiful
fusion crust with only about 1% broken showing that fabulous chalk-white
interior and such rare material and, for me, so HUGE a specimen. The Gibeon,
as I said, is just a mind boggling example of regmaglypt sculpture. The oriented
Passamonte. Well, I read Nininger's account of finding the second half of that
specific stone early in my days of meteorite madness.. to own it is just
amazing. The perfect oriented Gao looks like a model of what a "classic"
oriented meteorite "should" be, if there ever were a perfect one. And there it
is. The hollow meteorite is just a stinking trip. The size of a soccer ball, and
about 60% there, with "walls" thick enough that the hollow core is about the
size of a baseball. In addition, it is highly eroded, and in 4 pieces, which fit
perfectly together. VERY visually impressive piece. The 35Kg Markavka.. well, I
doubt I will ever own another stone that large! But, who knows, perhaps I
shouldn't create limitations for myself but it IS huge. In addition, it is an
H4, somewhat more rare than an H5 and far more rare than an L6, so, that is
nice, too. But the biggest thing is it is like having a stinking asteroid
sitting on the desk next to me! The Felt 'B' with those L5 and L3.5 constituents
so perfectly split down the center of the slice and the slice is such a
visually appealing shape to begin with I don't know WHAT exactly it is about the
Sahara 99028, but the moment I saw it I thought it was one of the most visually
appealing specimens I had ever seen. The broken piece off the end, displayed
with separation and the ancient desert weathering combine to just do it for me.
What is your favorite overall if it is not the one above?
I have several "favorites" one being Camel Donga. What a meteorite! I have
never seen more beautiful whole stones than Camel Donga. Esquel has to be one of
the absolute all time greats! I have both in my collection actually, a very
nice piece of thin sliced Esquel just not one of those "sheets" that you see
now and again that are whole slices I have SEVERAL Camel Donga specimens,
including several
oriented ones.
What meteorites are currently on your wish list?
GOOD QUESTION! I think I avoid asking myself this because the meteorite market
has been so slow of late I haven't had the resources to even think of indulging
myself in my personal collection. I wouldn't mind a tiny speck of that SNC of
which there were only a few grams TKW. I really want to get a decent macromount
of the Glorietta Pallasite and of Marjalahti, as well. If I had substantial
resources, there are many I would allow myself to want: a decent sized full
slice of metal rich Portales Valley would be nice, LOTS of different Pallasites
at least the size of a playing card hell, let's get one of each known variety.
In this scenario, the list is nearly endless. You get the idea. I am a meteorite
freak and I really do want one of EVERYTHING no kidding, even the H5s and L6s
a HUGE collection of macromounts with one of everything in fact, I collect
as though that is what I will eventually accomplish, though that is almost
certainly not the case, but, as they say, it is the journey, not the goal. I
take a great deal of enjoyment occasionally pulling out my macromount drawers
one at a time and just digging them. That is one of the things visitors most
enjoy doing, as well. So, whenever I can afford it, I don't pass up ANYTHING of
macromount size, unless it appears to be a poor representative of that event, or
my pockets are cash shallow which is quite often!
What methods have been most successful in building your
collection?
(Buying at shows, from dealers by mail, auctions on the web, trading... etc) I
have used every method known to me, from my pitiful personal hunting in strewn
fields, purchasing as a dealer in quantities, purchasing individually from other
dealers, purchasing by mail, over the internet, at shows, purchasing on eBay,
acquiring through trades.. I have even bought a few at my own auctions (though I
try to leave the goodies for my buyers when the entire bidding group is not
bidding on something that is clearly a steal, however, then I will jump in and
bid myself, which is legal {for an auctioneer to bid in his own auction as
long as it is a consignment item & NOT his own item} in every state but Road
Island them Road Islanders won't put up with such audaciousness)
Do you also collect related materials like impact glasses,
breccias, melts, tektites, shocked fossils, native iron rocks etc?
I actually have a more comprehensive collection of Tektites than meteorites
which, when you think about it,
is not that hard to do, since there are a very finite number of Tektite types,
while there are thousands of meteorite falls and finds. I have the finest
Moldavite collection I have personally ever seen. I put it together keeping the
very best one or two specimens from every shipment I got from a Czech Republic
digger I work with. He has sent me the most amazing material. He introduced me
to the name, "Hedgehog" for the ultra "pointy" type Moldavite that looks like a
pin cushion. I now have an actual Hedgehog - a living and breathing animal,
inspired by my Moldavite collecting. Once I had the best "stretch Tektite" I
have ever seen, bar none, including the photos and reproductions of Nininger's.
It was utterly spectacular. However, I sold it for $6,000. Six K will go a long
way in making you "well," as they say. However, I have ALWAYS felt ambivalent
about parting with that specimen. Man, was that ever a killer piece. If I ever
won the lotto, I would make that buyer very happy buying it back. You know, that
would be an interesting question to ask any dealers you interview in the future:
"What specimens have you sold you would most like to have back?" I bet we would
hear about some AMAZING stuff. In any event, that is one of my greatest
"losses." It is very interesting being a dealer, especially one with limited
funds and a HUGE appetite for collecting, such as I. One is ALWAYS tempted to
contribute first to one's collection and make $ second. However, with limited
finances, you must function the other way round. Boy, if I had in my collection
some of the beauties I have sold! Especially painful are the ones that pass
through your hands on consignment.. I remember a stinking SHEET of
Springwater! That thing was HUGE and not very thick, either - and I sold it
for someone for about $18K. While that is a lot of money, let me tell you, that
was one hell of a piece! I also sold a Tambp Quamado etched slice that was the
best I have seen. Actually, I traded that one, as I did own the piece. I will
not collect cut irons. Not living in San Diego. The rust problem is just too
heartbreaking. Now, if I were Ron or Jim Hartman man, their work just doesn't
rust. but that's another story.
Do you prepare any of your own specimens? (cut, polish,
etch, etc.)
Yes. I try not to, but sometimes, the buying opportunity I get is for something
I HAVE to cut. While I don't do much, I like to think of myself as doing an
excellent job. I use only 96% alcohol on stones or actually "dry cut" the very
precious material, using an 004 blade. I used to be a lapidary, so, I know a
little about polishing, but I just use 120, 200, 360, 400, 600, 800, 1,000 &
1,500 grit paper on glass. I much prefer using emery to sand (emery has a
hardness of 9 vs. 7 for sand). I rarely use ALL those grits. Some material shows
MUCH better at a rougher grit some best at as fine as you can get, others in
between. On irons and Pallasites I use oil. But I avoid cutting either except in
exceptional circumstances. There are plenty of people out there who specialize
and I am not afraid to pay the best. Personally, I would only use Ron or Jim
Hartman for irons and/or Pallasites and Russ Kempton (of NEMS) for stones. There
is no finer work being done than by those individuals, though I have heard great
things about several others and they May do as well, but I know these people's
work first hand and their work is of phenomenal quality.
Have you had to take any special measures to protect them
from the environment?
In my office I have air conditioning (the only room in my house with AC) which
drops the humidity level and for the winter, I have a dehumidifier. However, as
I stated above, I just won't collect cut irons and only sell them in small
quantities I can sell quickly. It is just too painful to see such beauty
destroyed by rust.
Is there anything
else you would like to add as we conclude this interview?
Yes. I think one of the greatest things about collecting meteorites is
connecting with so many fabulous people. Pretty much without exception,
meteorite collectors (and dealers) are particularly intelligent, more often than
not, well educated and tend to be very interesting characters. Just look around
at the richness of characters with which we are surrounded. There are plenty of
opinions and not everyone is in agreement all the time - but conflicts of
perspective are almost always worked out and the group, overall, is a truly warm
community of characters. I am very grateful for that.