Regarding the labeling of specimens
Comments (0) Recently on the Meteorite Mailing List, there has been an interesting discussion about labeling meteorite specimens. I usually don’t post on the mailing list (I’m more of a lurker), but this is an interesting topic to me.
First, for those readers who don’t know what I’m talking about, the discussion regards this sort of labeling – painting numbers on meteorites so they can still be properly identified many years later. This is more than just a tool to assist with forgetfulness – it’s so future collectors can identify our meteorites after we’re gone. Many collectors are in favor of this sort of labeling, but I’m not so sure.
It seems to me that even if we paint numbers on our specimens, their identification still relies on whether or not our documentation accompanies them. A number #47.02A doesn’t mean anything to future generations unless there is a catalog to indicate what it means. And if all of this is going to rely on a paper/digital catalog, then why bother painting numbers on them at all? I think a catalog with detailed photos can do the job just as well without harming the aesthetics of the piece.
I imagine a future collector trying to identify an unlabeled 5.5g meteorite from a known collection. They look in the paper/digital catalog, sorted by weight, and find the photos of any 5.5g pieces. Then they can quickly identify the specimen without having a number painted on 25% of the surface.
I guess what I’m saying is that digital cameras make documenting our collections easier than ever before – so let’s take advantage of this! Documenting a collection with photos is fun, too. Painted ID numbers may have served a purpose in the past, but I don’t see the need for them anymore. I mean, come on. Really?
As a side note, I do wonder if maybe specimens should still have a “mark” to indicate whose collection/catalog they belonged to. This mark could be smaller and less obtrusive than a full ID number would be. Maybe something like the owner’s initials would suffice. I just don’t see the point of individual ID numbers painted on everything when it’s so easy to take photos nowadays.
