Meteorite collecting Part 1.
Sourcing meteorites

Meteorites are some of the most fascinating collectibles on Earth—fragments of space that have traveled millions of miles before landing on our planet. Whether you’re an adventurer searching for them or a collector looking to purchase rare specimens, collecting meteorites is an exciting and rewarding experience. This article explores the two main ways of acquiring meteorites: hunting for them or buying them.

1. Collecting your own finds

The vast majority of collectors buy meteorites because it is the easiest and fastest way to build a collection while ensuring authenticity. However, a small percentage of people prefer to collect only what they personally find. This approach can be incredibly rewarding but also comes with challenges. There is a full article about meteorite hunting but here we talk about hunting from a collector’s perspective.

One common issue is that many amateur hunters mistake terrestrial rocks for meteorites. I have encountered many self-proclaimed meteorite collectors whose finds turn out to be entirely terrestrial and they end up having a 50 kg pile of ugly rocks sitting in their basement while they think they own a fortune.

A minority of people who hunt for meteorites have authentic meteorite collections. The best thing is of course the experience – the thrill you feel when you find a meteorite is unimaginable. Being the first human to grab and admire it… However, successful hunting requires deep knowledge on how to identify a meteorite, as well as time and a strong financial investment. Travel expenses, equipment, and failed expeditions can add up quickly. I once met a world-famous American meteorite hunter at a fall site in France who told me that, in his last 12 expeditions, he had found nothing, likely costing him tens of thousands of dollars. On the other hand, a Polish friend discovered a 4-kilo lunar meteorite in a desert. With the right knowledge, it often comes down to the luck of just walking near one.

Another factor to take into consideration when collecting only your own finds is that you only keep what you find, and you can’t predict what you’re going to find. This leads to incomplete-in-types or inconsistent-in-size collections. An incomplete collection would be for example if you never find a Martian or an iron meteorite. And an inconsistent collection would be to have way too different sizes in your specimens – it is hard to display a tiny chondrite from a new meteorite fall with a 10-kilo weathered chondrite from a desert.

Collecting your own finds:

Pros: adventurous experience, satisfaction

Cons: requires knowledge, investment and luck, incomplete collections

2. Buying meteorites

Now let’s talk about what most people do, which is to buy the meteorites. Although finding them is exciting and I recommend trying it at least once in your life, we are talking about making a collection of meteorites, not making a collection of countries you have visited and went back home empty-handed. So, buying them is a more efficient approach. But doing so can be tricky as well and it opens a wide array of questions: where to buy?, is it fake?, do I trust the seller?, etc.

What I recommend is buying from trusted sources. There are many good sellers out there (some of which I will list at the end). But there are also way too many scammers. As a rule of thumb, buy meteorites from certified sellers. There are mainly two organizations that take care of good business practices amongst meteorite sellers:

IMCA (International Meteorite Collectors Association).
GMA (Global Meteorite Association).

Buying from members of these organizations significantly reduces the risk of acquiring fake meteorites.

Another crucial point is to understand the difference between classified and unclassified meteorites. Here is a short article about that. As guideline, it is better to buy classified meteorites at the beginning. That being said, there are 2 main ways of buying a meteorite: in fairs and online.

2.1. Buying meteorites: at fairs

One of the biggest advantages of buying meteorites at fairs is the ability to examine specimens in person. Online photos can sometimes be misleading, making it difficult to judge a meteorite’s size, texture and color. Another major benefit is the opportunity to interact with knowledgeable dealers. Many meteorite vendors at fairs have years of experience and can provide insights into the origin, classification, and history of their specimens. Pricing is also a key factor when purchasing meteorites at fairs. Buyers can compare prices across different stalls and even negotiate better deals. However, not everything is good news.

There aren’t so many important fairs in the world so you’d need to travel there, spending money and time. The logistics are also important. Customs need to be taken into account and if you buy something big, prepare yourself to travel back home with it in your luggage. And believe me, your partner won’t be happy if you take their suitcase and put an 84 kg Muonionalusta in it. Spoiler alert: it may break.

If you decide to give yourself a treat and feel the energy of a fair, you can get inspired in the article discussing the major international shows of meteorites. Very briefly these are:

Ensisheim show. Largest only-meteorite show in the world held in France in June. The place to go for meteorite enthusiasts.
The 3 largest mineral shows in the world: Tucson (USA), Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines (France) and Munich (Germany.)
Others like: Denver, Hunan, Tokyo or Shanghai.

Ensisheim show in 2018

Additionally, there are countless small mineral shows everywhere, where mineral dealers also sell a few meteorites in a portion of their table. There are some Moroccans for example that make many small shows all over the world and usually, they have meteorites that are aimed to be the first meteorites of new collectors so the price is cheap. You shouldn’t expect anything crazy but it can be a good starting point.

Buying at fairs:

Pros: in person, prices

Cons: investment to go, shipping

2.2. Buying meteorites: online

Many beginners turn to eBay, which offers a selection of meteorites if you know where to look. However, my estimate is that 90% of meteorites listed on eBay are fake. If you choose to buy there, ensure the seller is a member of IMCA or GMA to reduce the risk of fraud. Also, beware of the many eBay’s hidden fees, especially when purchasing internationally or with a currency that isn’t yours.

eBay

Pros: variety

Cons: most are fakes, high and hidden fees

A safer and easier approach is to buy from auction houses. If you want to buy securely, Catawiki, Heritage or Christie’s among others already take care of the authenticity issue. Catawiki typically offers more affordable pieces, which can be good if your budget is not very high. On Heritage and Christie’s, pieces are of better quality and their prices higher. For Catawiki, fees for buyers are around 10% of the hammer price and for Heritage and Christie’s around 25% although they fluctuate. Additionally, the seller also pays a fee to them and this reflects in the reserve price. Still, there are many good deals selling in auction houses if you know about market prices. On the other hand, they can get really expensive if 2 or more people overbid each other.

Auction houses

Pros: real meteorites, range from cheap to good quality, sometimes bargains

Cons: high fees, sometimes very expensive

Heritage auction house selling a Seymchan meteorite

The final option when buying online is to do it through a trustworthy online meteorite shop. The best thing is that there are no intermediaries. This usually translates in better prices as the sellers avoid paying commissions to eBay or the auction houses. You don’t need to register and that improves the user’s experience. But many websites are difficult to surf and not updated. And it is frustrating when you decide to buy a meteorite and the seller tells you that it was sold a year ago.

Additionally, it is impossible for a single seller to have all the types of meteorites for all budgets. Even within the same meteorite, some people want a 1-gram slice and other want a 40-kilo complete piece. Or anything in between. Then multiply that for all existing meteorites. Therefore, even if sellers try to offer a wide array of meteorites for all budgets, sometimes they may not have exactly what you are looking for. Being flexible in what you’re looking for helps closing deals.

Online shops

Pros: competitive prices, reliable sellers

Cons: limited stock, some are outdated

With all the information presented here, you should be able to decide where you want to get your meteorites from: you look for them, you get them in shows or online.

You are in a great meteorite shop right now (: however, for your ease, I have compiled some other trusted seller’s websites of friends that you may want to check:

www.vipmeteorites.com by Viktor Plamenov

www.collectingmeteorites.com by Tomasz Jakubowski

www.littleplanets.fi by Jarkko Kettunen

www.topmeteorite.com by Dustin Dickens

www.sp-meteorites.com by Pierre Antonin

www.meteorite-recon.com by Svend Buhl

www.meteorites.de by Dieter Heinlein

www.meteor-center.com by Pierre-Marie

www.meteorite-shop.de by Stephan Decker