Welcome to Big John Meteorites!

I love studying and collecting meteorites. Why? Like many of us, I will likely never have the chance to go into space, let alone to visit another planet or an asteroid. But, if I hold a piece of a meteorite in my hand I can touch those forbidden places. If I take out an optical loupe and look at them in proper light, or make a thin section of them and look at them under a microscope, I can see what only a handful of people in the world have the opportunity to see. What is that? The bits and pieces that make up our solar system, and likely even our universe.

Furthermore, some meteorites have the distinction of being historically unique. Much like how an antiquity or an historic document can intrigue us and expand our perspective of the world, so can an old meteorite specimen. Often they will have a unique heritage, be a part of an amazing story, or represent the unique science of meteorites on some level. Most of the meteorites I sell here are specimens of NWA (Northwest African) meteorites found in the Sahara desert, and classified by scientists here in the United States. Sometimes I will list other non-NWA specimens for sale.

As most of you know, collecting meteorites is expensive. As a collector first and foremost, I only sell specimens to curb the cost of collecting. There are many people who make a living at buying and selling meteorites, but I don’t do this to make a living. This is, and always will be, my hobby, and I don’t need massive crowd pleasing specimens to make me happy. I am pleased to cut and share some specimens with fellow collectors.

I hope you will enjoy the website, and that you will find some specimens that you would be pleased to add to your collection.

Cheers!

John A. Shea, MD

IMCA 3295