[Taxacom] holotype for sale

[Ken Kinman]

Hi Neal,
     Well, those are two really huge "IFS".  But just for the sake of 
argument, whatever Buckley did with the money is probably not quite as 
important as the fact there is no telling whether someone rich enough to buy 
it at $100,000 would squirrel it away as a private "show-and-tell piece" 
(not available to further scientific study) or donate it to a museum.

     Anyway, I can't imagine that any reputable journal would ever again 
publish anything connected with Buckley again, especially if new taxa were 
involved.  I really would be interested to know if the Botanical Code has 
anything to say about such an outrageous sale of not one, but three 
holotypes.  Would these three species and genera still be valid if the only 
specimens weren't available for further scientific study?
   ----Ken
********************************
>From: Neal Evenhuis <neale at bishopmuseum.org>
>To: "Ken Kinman" <kinman at hotmail.com>
>CC: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
>Subject: Re: [Taxacom] holotype for sale
>Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:27:22 -1000
>
>At 2:20 AM +0000 9/12/07, Ken Kinman wrote:
>>      This is even more outrageous that I first thought.  All three 
>>specimens
>>in this fossil are apparently not only new species, but new genera.  You
>>would get three holotypes in one.  I'd be tempted pay $100 myself just to
>>get such a specimen to a public institution, but I get the impression EBAY
>>expects a minimum bid of $100,000.  Besides, I don't understand why 
>>Buckley
>>would advertize the specimen under the name of the hyperparasite (spelled
>>correctly or not) rather than the mushroom anyway.
>>
>>      I truly find it hard to believe that Poinar had any part in this
>>attempted sale.  The whole thing sort of reminds me of the Keystone cops.
>>It would actually be funny if it weren't so ridiculous.
>
>So, the chances seem extremely remote that someone will bid $100,000 for a 
>mushroom and two other tiny organisms, thus the fossil remains with 
>Buckley. However (and not necessarily condoning this, but call me curious) 
>...
>
>... if someone is willing to actually bid the $100,000 (or more) and 
>Buckley gives that $$ to further taxonomy somewhere (although from the tone 
>of this discussion I think most of us are assuming he'd keep the money to 
>further his nursing profession, buy some really cool photographic 
>equipment, or buy more amber), would we quibble??
>
>-Neal

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