The Hounds of Haviland

Why Don Wears Gloves, Finally the Truth Can Be Told!

The Traumatic Event that Changed My Life FOREVER!

I’m so old now, there is a story for everything and you have to hear it.

Written in response to a comment about cut meteorites on eBay often photographed in someone’s unprotected hand.

My first visit to the back room of the Smithsonian meteorite collection was an honor, kind of like stepping onto hallowed ground (about 16 years ago, still have my visitors pass). When Linda opened the cabinet with all the Murchison, a blast of aromatics issued. A potpourri of alcohols, ketones, esters and for a brief moment I was intoxicated, standing on a comet, traveling and exploring the depths of the solar system and beyond.

Upon returning to Earth, I asked to see a piece of Garnett, a stony meteorite that was described in Find a Falling Star (pg. 51) as having a grain of copper. Copper metal in a stone meteorite-just had to see this. Linda retrieved the slice from a drawer and placed it under the stereo microscope so we could view, and like a greenhorn, I reached out with my greasy hand to move the specimen. As in a reflex action, Linda reached out and stopped me before making contact and involuntarily exclaimed NO! With my face red and adrenaline pumping, I listened as Linda explained about salt in perspiration, organic acids, and a zoo of other contaminates on my hands that would cause corrosion. Embarrassed-oh yes, having a degree in biophysics, of course the components of skin ooze were well know to me, but like a kid in a candy story I forgot myself and the hand had a mind of it’s own.

But, I’ll never forget the lesson, and so the purple gloves are a must, and after all, if you are selling the material, isn’t it better to give the customer the privilege of being the first human to truly touch the piece (if they so desire)? Our best meteorite digs have been when parents/grandparents/Sheila and myself carefully excavate by hand/shovel and the kids get to be the first humans to touch the meteorite and see the first light to fall on it’s surface since it landed thousands of years ago. After this experience, a couple of kids went home, got a little lab book, recorded their experience, set up small laboratories in their rooms to examine their specimens, and at show and tell were asked, “are you going to be a scientist?”. Like the commercial says, “Priceless”.

I do have specimens that go to schools shows because the kids just have to touch everything, somewhat weathered crusted meteorites-why not. Cut irons, clean them up when you get home from the lecture and refinish as necessary. But, to each their own, just my preference, not on my dung heap crowing.

At any rate, feel free to pass this link on to others, maybe it will motivate some to use gloves or some type of barrier between hand and meteorite on eBay, or not.

Just think of the commercial hook, like little Elliot, you’re the first to extend a finger to this E.T.*, wow! I smell an advertising blitz.

*(thanks to j. karl for the meteorite nomenclature E.T., the extra-terrestrial)