Specimen label
A specimen label records a meteorite's name, type, mass and history, and it should always stay with the specimen.
A specimen label is a card or record that goes with a meteorite. A good one gives the official name, the classification, the mass, whether it was a fall or a find, the date of fall or find, and the place. It also records where the specimen came from: who found, sold or traded it, and when.
Labels matter because without information, a meteorite loses much of its scientific and collector value. Two slices of different meteorites can look almost identical, and once a label is lost it can be very hard to tell them apart. Old museum labels, written in ink by famous curators, can themselves be historically important.
Keep labels with specimens, in the same box or bag, and make a separate record in a notebook or computer. Photograph each specimen with its label. If you give or sell a specimen, pass on its label and history. This chain of records is known as provenance.
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Level: Explorer Ages 10 and up