Hi Oddjob.
Yes, with all due respect to whoever conducted the tests, from a verification point of view there’s a quite a big difference between the Geology Department of most universities saying you have a meteorite and the opinion of a specialised laboratory with experience in meteoritics.
My recommendation in the US would be “New England Meteoritical Services”:
http://www.meteorlab.com/
They offer a rapid service for confirmation of meteorites for $30, which is a subsidised price as part of an educational outreach programme. They need only a small piece chipped or cut from the main mass (10-20g) and the price covers testing of two samples from the same specimen or group of specimens. Anything you send will be returned to you and their testing is non-destructive but may leave small marks on the surface of the samples. Return postage is also covered in the price but, if you send larger specimens, you need to contact them first and agree return postage cost based on weight.
There are more details at these links:
http://meteoritetesting.org/
http://www.meteoritetesting.org/Submitting a sample.htm
Note also their advice in the FAQ section:
#6. "I found a meteorite, how do I sell it?"
The first thing that you need to do is to have it examined and verified as a meteorite by a testing lab that verifies and or classifies meteorites. If verified, you can then sell it as an unclassified meteorite if you like. Additionally, you can move towards formal classification and registration with the Meteoritical Society, and then sell it as a classified and registered meteorite. Classification is not part of the initial verification.
#20. "I see many references to the Meteoritical Society. What do they do?"
The Meteoritical Society is an international organization composed of over 1,000 scientists and contributors representing 52 countries. The Society writes and publishes meteoritical guidelines and classification criteria needed for acceptance into their registry database.
They also maintain the records of all known meteorites in the Meteoritical Bulletin and publish "Meteoritics and Planetary Science", a leading peer-reviewed journal of planetary science.
The Meteoritical Society website is at:
https://meteoritical.org/
The option to “Report a new meteorite” is on their contacts page:
https://meteoritical.org/contact
Contact the editor of the Bulletin,
metbulleditor@gmail.com
That would be the route to maximise the value of a find but generally you need to be a member to take it further and get a formal name approved and registered in the database together with details of typology and mineralogy from a reputable source published in the MetSoc Bulletin. Standard membership is $80 ($40 if you’re retired).
It’s not a straightforward process for someone who is inexperienced and probably better to find someone who is already a member who is prepared to act as a sponsor for the submission. NEMS may be able to help you there, but it’s not part of their initial verification service.
See also section 7.1 of MetSoc’s guidelines in the pdf linked below:
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/docs/nc-guidelines.pdf
With respect to additional material found in the same vicinity as the main mass, no it’s not always necessary for each individual specimen to have the same degree of verification and testing. It depends to a large extent on whether the other specimens can be incontrovertibly linked to the main mass.
One other point. It would be unusual for a fall of >60kg to pass unnoticed or unlinked to an incoming bolide, although possible if the find was in a particularly remote area… unless the fall was not in modern times. Were there any indications from weathering of the finds which suggest how old they might be?
Hope that helps. Good luck and please keep us posted.
