Collection of Aesthetic Meteorites ║ Est. 1997
© 2011 R. Pawelski - Falling Fusion™
It all began in 1997, still in middle school at the time. While paging through a magazine, I happened to stumble upon an advertisement placed by a meteorite dealer located in Tucson, AZ. Up till that point, I didn't even know that such a thing existed. You mean to tell me, you can actually purchase rocks from Outer Space? How cool is that! I immediately inquired through the mail to the address listed in the AD, and within short time, a two-page sales list and collection catalog arrived in my mail box. After looking through the list, and comparing prices, I choose the cheapest material...."Gibeon Iron", priced at $1 per gram. To be honest, I didn't really know anything about meteorites at the time, and it was the only thing that I could afford off that list. It seemed to be the best bang for the buck (as I would soon find out, it certainly was.... and still IS, in terms of stable irons.) I mailed in my order, and about a week later the phone rang. My mother answered the call, immediately followed by a shout down the hallway..... "There's a man on the phone for you, some 'meteorite man'!" I picked up the phone, said "hello"...and sure enough, to my surprise, it was THEE MAN himself... the "Meteorite Man" ... Mr. Robert Haag. He was just calling to clarify some details pertaining to my order. I remember how cool he sounded, like a rock star, both literally and hypothetically speaking. My first meteorite arrived in the mailbox later that week, a nicely etched 36g part slice. I still have it, along with all of the paperwork and catalog. It terms of value? To someone else? Probably thirty or forty bucks. To me? Lets just say it's not going anywhere anytime soon. As we meteorite collectors like to say, you'll probably have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
What began as a single meteorite purchase out of fate, had quickly fueled a passionate fire for these mysterious rocks from Outer Space. Over the years, my collection has grown to a wide assortment of localities. Although still a rather modest collection in the eyes of some collectors, I have learned to enjoy the quality of the meteorites that I choose, rather than the quantity that I acquire. You will find that each collector will focus his or her collection in different directions. Micromounts, historic falls, witnessed falls, planetaries, or those of scientific value, ect. Nowadays, my main interest has turned to specimens that are exceptionally appealing to the eye. I like to view meteorites as pieces of fine art work, sculpted by the hands of Mother Earth by means of good fortune.
Aside from the aesthetic value, I have a particular fondness for fresh, witnessed falls. The thought alone that one can obtain a tangible object of Outer Space within days, or even hours of it taking it's first breath of terrestrial air is thought provoking and mysterious in it's own ways. Something that has wandered aimlessly in the heavens for millions of years, for it to make such a grand entrance, in a matter seconds, is remarkable in itself....
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