Chloe Haag (seen here in 2006), daughter of famed meteorite dealer Robert Haag, sits atop a 1,200-pound (550 kilograms) meteorite found near Mundrabilla, Australia. Hikers found small samples of the iron mass in 1911. Then, in 1966, meteorite hunters found two pieces weighing 11 and 6 tons, respectively. Photo by Michael E. Bakich
On Sunday, October 14, Heritage Auctions, based in New York City, will sell the largest piece of the Moon ever publicly offered. That sample will be one of the highlights of a set of nearly 100 meteorites — many with museum provenance — in an auction at the Fletcher Sinclair Mansion in New York City.
The sale features the four-pound (1.8 kilograms) lunar specimen, which researchers split into two halves to reveal its brecciated lunar signature. Only 135 pounds (61.2kg) of the Moon in total is available to the public; (Apollo-program material is off-limits). Because of the specimen’s outstanding rarity, auction experts have set a pre-auction estimate on this piece of $340,000 to $380,000.
This sale will occur on the 20th anniversary of the Peekskill fireball — the most videotaped meteorite descent of all time. This meteorite fall burnished its legacy by puncturing a Chevy Malibu just 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) outside of Manhattan. The pre-auction estimate for this sample is $45,000 to $55,000.
The auction also includes meteorites containing extraterrestrial gemstones; a piece of a meteorite that resulted in the only documented fatality; and the oldest matter mankind can touch. Other offerings include 13 different meteorites with estimates between $450 and $1,500 each, several of which originate from the asteroid Vesta.
Another highlight is a large fragment of the Tissint martian meteorite that fell last year in Morocco. This piece perfectly fits and locks into the large 1,099-gram fragment that is now a centerpiece at the Natural History Museum in London. With such an impressive earthly provenance, auctioneers estimate the matching segment to the Natural History Museum piece will sell for between $230,000 and $260,000.
Originally from the Western Australian Museum in Perth, Australia, a massive slab of the Mundrabilla meteorite weighing nearly three-quarters of a ton is the largest ever available at auction. This stunning extraterrestrial “table top” measures some three feet (1 meter) across. Its pre-auction estimate ranges from $120,000 to $140,000.
One of the more storied pieces is a meteorite that did a bit of stargazing. It is a piece of Mars that legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock had in his pocket during a gala performance at the Kennedy Center last fall for the Thelonious Monk Institute. Hancock — and his martian tidbit — were embraced by the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, and Aretha Franklin, among others. For this piece, 100 percent of the auction proceeds will go to the Monk Institute, which is devoted to nurturing musical excellence. This offering will come with a letter of provenance from Hancock. Auctioneers estimate it will sell for $6,500 to $8,500.
The Heritage Auctions “Important Meteorites” auction will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 14, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79th Street (corner of Fifth Avenue), New York, New York. The auction preview schedule is Thursday through Saturday, October 11–13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.