Robert Elliott Meteorite
Collection
Mini Biography
Rob Elliott's passion for all-things science and
space began at the early age of 8 years old, just as Apollo 11
prepared to land on the Moon.
Living under the bright lights of a London suburb made viewing
the night sky difficult at best, but Rob's interest as a junior
amateur astronomer grew and developed into a keen interest in
comets, meteors and meteorites in particular.
During his late teens, Rob studied electronic engineering in
London and pursued a long career as an electronics engineer,
working on military defence electronic systems for both the
British and American governments.
Married to Irene and with 3 children, Rob left England in 1987
and was relocated to Fife, Scotland to join a new team working on
a space project for US Defence.
Rob's first introduction to meteorites came by chance in the mid-90's
while skimming through the small ads in the back pages of an
astronomy magazine - here, an overseas seller offered small
samples of an iron meteorite, found in the Namibian desert. After
much deliberation (disbelief that was quickly resolved by
checking "meteorites" in the family's encyclopaedia!),
Rob purchased a small polished and etched slice for a few Dollars,
and began a passionate hobby that was destined to grow into
something far bigger.
Several more purchases followed and Rob put together a modest
collection of different meteorites, found in various countries
across the World. As a sideline, Rob found that he could fund and
increase his collection by re-selling any duplicates, as well as
selling pieces removed from his larger meteorites. With some
sales success behind him and with the full support and backing of
his wife Irene, Rob decided to throw his full effort into a
business of buying and selling meteorites for a living. A
sizeable bank loan started the business by allowing the purchase
of some high-end, exotic meteorites, which Rob then cut and
prepared before offering them for re-sale to meteorite collectors.
Rob also approached several museums, scientists and curators who
might be interested in studying the material, or simply adding it
to their own meteorite collections. As most museums prefer to
exchange meteorites for other types rather than to purchase them
outright, Rob became a frequent visitor, meeting with the
curators of some of the top institutions and museums of natural
history around the World. This exchange and bartering in
meteorites allowed Rob to acquire many rare, important and
historical meteorites, which had never been available to private
collectors before. Over the following years, Rob built a highly
respected, World-class meteorite collection and he ranked as one
of the World's top meteorite dealers. His customers have included
people from all walks of life - devoted meteorite collectors,
well-known celebrities, renowned scientists, and just about
anyone who wanted to experience and own a 4,500,000,000 year old
"rock from space".
As well as buying and selling meteorites, Rob has spent many
years hunting for meteorites in the hot deserts, mainland Europe,
and also much closer to home in the British Isles. Two notable
British meteorites stand out from all of his successful meteorite
hunting finds - the Glenrothes meteorite, which he found in Fife,
Scotland in 1998, and the particularly rare Hambleton meteorite
he found in North Yorkshire, England in 2005. These remain the
only officially recognised meteorites that have ever found in the
United Kingdom.
Fernlea, The
Wynd, Milton of Balgonie, Fife. KY7 6PY United Kingdom
Please
- no requests to authenticate old rock and stone finds
I've heard the
"My grandad saw it fall in a field and gave it to me!"
story (and all variations) a zillion times
Telephone: 07880-888660
Email: fernlea4@aol.com
© Rob Elliott