BLACK GOLD

Before you toss that strange black rock over your shoulder consider that some meteorites are worth a lot of money. This country is scattered with meteorites and you can stumble on them almost anywhere. I used to talk to a wise elderly blacksmith who told me stories about some Central Texas ones that he had seen. It seems that he discovered in his shop that you could pass a current through one and the word got out that if you found a strange pitted black rock you should have it verified as a meteorite at the blacksmith shop. He told me about the different kinds of meteorites that people brought to him. He also told me that shortly after the turn of the century people at a late evening ballgame saw the sky light up so bright that you could read a newspaper. The roosters even crowed! There was the one that he found that was as large as a boulder when he was clearing a mans land and it was rolled down the hill into a ravine where dirt covered it up. I mention this so that you won't think that every good treasure has been found and that it might look a little different than you thought that treasure should look when you find it.

Many meteorites have a iron or nickel/iron composition and it might be smart to skip the discrimination when you are in remote trash free areas. Even large targets might prove interesting and worthwhile to dig. There are many different kinds of meteorites and it might pay you to be able to discern some of the types that may not have conductive qualities.

Ok, one more thing I will say about meteorites before I light your fire, they are identified as "FINDS" and "FALLS". If you stumble onto one it is a "find". If a meteorite is seen to fall in the area and can be dated it is identified as a "fall". So logic leads you realize that a dated fall should be much more valuable because it might be determined where it originated from. Look in the libraries for old newspapers on microfilm for sightings or check with the local astronomy clubs in the area for information you can use to determine a landfall. Even if one has been discovered nearby there are probably fragments lying around that you can find with your metal detector. Meteorites are generally sold by "the gram" (1/1000th of a kilogram)!! And with retail prices that range to $60 a gram. It shouldn't take you long to realize that there is more to treasure hunting than just coinshooting. Research often has rewards that make it worth the trouble. Explore the following links with pictures and prices then take a long look at the 2.1 ton iron meteorite that was found in Australia. See if your calculator can count that high.