In 2016, the auction house Christie's had a very bad day. The most valuable meteorites could not score the minimum value among buyers. Only one of the 9 cosmic rocks with the highest estimated cost could find a buyer. But here they have achieved only the lowest price.
The main lot of the auction was supposed to be a 635-pound meteorite, discovered in Kansas in 2015. This is the largest of the iron meteorites from the city of Branham with a unique dome-shaped form. Its cost range ranged from $ 711,000 to $ 1,137,600. But there was no buyer.
A meteorite in the form of a polished sphere has become the most sought-after lot at auction
The same applies to the rare fragment of the Martian rock that flew from the Red Planet when it fell to the surface of the asteroid and fell to Earth. This space shard was found in 1962 in Zagami (Nigeria) and it became one of the first confirmed meteorites arriving from another planet. Its cost was estimated at half a million dollars, but the buyer was also not found. However, some stones from the less expensive category turned out to be incredibly in demand and they were paid more for the expected price. The sales leader was a pallasite meteorite discovered in Russia. He was cut out and polished to the look of a perfect shiny extraterrestrial sphere. It was estimated at 10052 - 14360 dollars, but the buyer paid 131 535 dollars.
This sample is taken from the interface between the molten iron core and the stone mantle of an asteroid that collapsed after colliding with another asteroid. The metal matrix is well polished, and the highly transparent crystals of olivine and peridot are endowed with shades from greenish-yellow to amber. Price: 3000 - 5000 dollars.
Another spherical crystal was the meteorite Muonionalusta, which demonstrated magnificent geometric patterns from the inside. With a weight of 3 kg they paid 42,660 dollars for it, which was three times higher than its maximum value at the initial estimate.
What's the matter? Why the best stones at the auction did not attract attention, but less valuable turned out to be in demand? Of course, that group of people who wish to give big money for fragments from space should be small. And, perhaps, real connoisseurs value these stones much higher and do not want to adapt to market prices.
Most likely, these basins arose due to cavities formed after the weathering of iron sulfide (troilite) inclusions from the meteorite when it was underground in the Kalahari. Price: $ 20,000 - $ 30,000
Auction House Sales Specialist Christie's James Hislop said that the demand for meteorites is growing. But the concrete situation proved that the majority of people do not concentrate on expensive expensive stones, but on cheaper junk pieces. It is possible that millionaire collectors simply lost interest, and space fanatics took their place.
This rounded mass, resembling an asteroid in miniature, has a surface covered with test prints due to heating under atmospheric friction. Price: 40,000 - $ 60,000
It is also impossible to deny the possibility that the market requires the crushing of large meteorites into smaller and more elegant products in order to make buyers more comfortable with them.
