What is the Rare 40-Pound Meteorite Found in Oregon?

[Astronuc]

I caught this headline on Yahoo, but didn't read it.

Rare 40-Pound Meteorite Identified in Oregon
http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/95272349.html

Scientists Confirm Decade-Old Oregon Meteorite DIscovery
http://news.opb.org/article/7495-scientists-confirm-decade-old-oregon-meteorite-discovery/

 

[Evo]

I've always wanted to find a nice size meteorite.

 

[hypatia]

Nice big one too! What a great find.

 

[Geigerclick]

What an amazing find! Really, who doesn't want to find something amazing like this, among the nerd fraternity/sorority at least. I would brag on by deathbed!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Meteorites can be worth some big bucks! Here is one listed on ebay

7.27 gram EC
Worth Over $700.00+ CHECK OUT ALL MY AUCTIONS THIS WEEK
Current bid: US $212.50

Generally:

If you happen to be ice-biking, or 4-wheeling or prospecting near glaciers or ice fields, keep in mind that solitary rocky material are seldom found embedded in ice, and it could be a rare kind of meteorite. Some museums and universities have paid from $100 to $5,000 per gram for this particular (Allan Hills 840001) specimen, but most iron meteorites are sold or traded by collectors from 10 cents to $1.50 per gram, depending upon its variety, authenticity and size. Like gold nuggets, the price is determined by the market --sometimes a feeding frenzy develops over a particular stony-iron, or recently acquired one-of-a-kind meteorite...

http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/aug/stories/deserttrs.html

...In financial terms lunar and Martian specimens are among the most valuable meteorites, often selling on the collectors' market for up to $1,000 per gram, making them worth many times their weight in gold...

http://geology.com/meteorites/meteorite-types-and-classification.shtml

..A piece of the Los Angeles meteorite -- the 15th meteorite known to have originated on the surface of Mars -- has been sold for a price one of the buyers describes as "well into six figures." Although the deal put the bulk of the highly sought rock in the hands of two professional meteorite dealers, those dealers have been working to distribute most of the material to museums and institutions around the world for scientific study...

http://www.space.com/news/la001_sale_000430.html

 

[Geigerclick]

Wow, that's kind of amazing, but I'm not sure that I would be able to resist donating it to a lab that wanted it. If it's a museum, they can pay.