Re: No ordinary rock
Reply #2 –
Technically speaking falls are property of the Crown and you are actually supposed to notify the authorities. There are laws against buying and selling objects "of the National interest" etc and you need export permits.
Some meteorites are incredibly valuable in a scientific sense e.g. the carbonaceous chondrite that fell over Murchison, and their worth is actually beyond money ( Look them up, they're amazing. Essentially chunks of asphalt).
Like the absolute Philistines that use rock saws to cut ancient trackways from rocks...makes my blood boil seeing invaluable scientific objects treated like trinkets.
Did you know that you shouldn't touch a fall - there's enough Pb and Sr in the skin oils on your fingers to contaminate the specimen for radiogenic age dating.