Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 71

The Manuscripts, Collectibles & Space Auction

Meteorites

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 663		Gold Meteorite Bracelet. This rare and unusual rolled gold bracelet has nine rectangular 10 x 3mm meteorite beads imbedded in a thick rolled 14 karat gold bracelet. Rolled gold is about 100 times as thick as gold plate and lasts a long time. Each of the rectangular beads has been carefully cut from an ordinary chondrite stony meteorite NWA 869 that formed at the origin of the solar system 3.57 billion years ago. Chondrites are the very first material that formed out of the hot solar gases that formed the solar system and are studied by scientists to learn what the original building blocks of the solar system were composed of. No rocks on earth have this chondrite structure because it was destroyed millions of years ago through volcanism. Chondrites of all shapes and sizes are visible in each of the nine rectangular meteorite beads. This bracelet is both beautiful and scientifically interesting. This is a very rare opportunity to buy meteorite jewelry as most meteorites are worth much more just as intact meteorites to cut up as jewelry. Comes with a certificate of authenticity and also a limited edition of 1,000 large 1.9 inch diameter bronze medal with an actual piece of the NWA 869 meteorite embedded in the obverse. Add $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $350 - 550. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $492
Lot 664		Libyan Desert Glass. Tektites are a mixture of earth rocks mixed with a sprinkling of meteorite material from an immense explosive event that occurred when a very large rocky meteorite vaporized before impacting the earth. The resulting mixture forms glass-like mixture. The color is usually black but it can also be green or yellow depending on the amount of silica present. This large 4.75 x 2 x 2 inch 300 gram specimen of Libyan Desert Glass is unusually pristine from being buried in the Sahara sand (near the border of Libya and Egypt) with the top side being smooth with many small regmaglypt-like impressions and the bottom side being flat and somewhat porous. It is of gem quality with some translucence, medium yellow-green color with the top smooth side having small white spheres just below the surface of Cristobalite which is a form of quartz that only forms at very high temperatures above 1470 degrees centigrade. The presence of Cristobalite proves the meteorite impact origin of Libyan Desert Glass as the only other way it could form in the desert would be from a volcano and there was never a volcano anywhere near this area. This is an excellent size and gem quality specimen of Libyan Desert Glass and is especially valuable as a much smaller 125 gram specimen sold for over $6000 in a New York auction in October, 2007. Allow $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $800 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 665		Martian Mini-Meteorite Complete and Uncut. Meteorites from the planet Mars are so rare that only small fragments are available for sale. These rare meteorites have been identified as being from Mars because of their chemical analysis and age. They are younger than most of the meteorites from the asteroid belt that were formed at the same time as the solar system 4.5 Billion Years Ago. It is now believed that most if not all the Martian meteorites originated from one gigantic meteorite impact that left the more recent Zumba crater in the Daedalia Planum on Mars. In 2007, in the Sahara desert of Algeria a number of small individual meteorites with a total weight of only 117.5 grams were found and submitted for analysis. This Martian meteorite(named NWA 4930) was found to be a rare achondrite basaltic (volcanic) Martian Shergotite with vesicular gas pockets and trapped melt inclusions and represents one of the freshest Martian Shergotites found. This specimen is a small .302 gram but complete mini-meteorite the size of a pebble that has a somewhat glossy green color with details of a number of individual grains visible with a magnifying glass. The reason that only small individual meteorites were found is because the original larger meteorite broke up high in the Earth's atmosphere. Mars is currently in the news with the one billion dollar Opportunity lander currently exploring Mars. But even spending one billion dollars, the Opportunity lander will not bring back to Earth any Mars rocks such as this specimen. This rare Martian meteorite comes housed in a 8X6 inch Riker mount for protection. Allow $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $300 - 450. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $240
Lot 666		Meteorite American Pallasite Brenham. The Brenham pallasite fell to earth some 1,000-2,000 years ago in Kiowa County near Haviland, Kansas. It is the most famous of all American pallasites and was perhaps the largest fall of a pallasite in recorded history with over 6 tons of recovered meteorites. Although the local Indians knew of this meteorite, it was not officially discovered until 1882 and designated a pallasite which is a mixture of an iron-nickel matrix with crystals of olivine. This large 5 x 4.5 inch 237 gram section has many olivine crystals in the iron-nickel matrix including quite a few crystals that are translucent ranging in color from a rare Peridot green color to a yellow-orange. Peridot is the gemstone version of olivine and at least one of these crystals is not shocked and clear enough to be considered Peridot. This beautiful and quite large complete section also possesses its original fusion crust on all four of its sides and comes in a 8.5X6.5 inch Riker mount for protection. Add $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 667		Meteorite Campo Del Cielo 71 Pounds With a Burn Hole. These new Campo del Cielo iron-nickel meteorites have an esthetic shape with its iron-nickel surface covered with desirable regmaglypts (thumbprints) that formed when the meteor passed through Earth's atmosphere and the troilite in the meteorite melted. In addition to its beautiful esthetic shape this very large 71 pound 13X8X8 inch complete meteorite has many medium to large sized regmaglypts scattered all over its surface as well as a large 1.5 inch burn whole. First recorded by the Spanish in 1576, the huge fall of Campo del Cielo (Valley of the Sky) iron-nickel meteorites occurred thousands of years before. The best quality Campos such as this splendid specimen were recovered high in the mountains where their surface was not rusted away by ground water. The Campo field has been mostly explored and the price of quality Campos is rising dramatically as new specimens are getting to be very difficult to locate and demand for meteorites has been steadily increasing. A five pound Campo del Cielo meteorite sold for over $3000 in a New York auction in September, 2007. This large museum quality Campo comes with a custom 4X4 inch black metal stand. Allow $35 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $5,000 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 668		Meteorite Campo Del Cielo Etched Slice. The famous iron-nickel meteorite Campo del Cielo fell to the earth over 4,000 years ago in mountainous region of Gran Chaco, Argentina, 500 miles north-northwest of Buenos Aries, in one of the largest and undoubtedly most dramatic falls in the last 10,000 years. Meteorites from this fall were scattered over hundreds of square miles of inaccessible terrain. This huge heavy 9 x 3.5 x .75 inch section weighs over 5.5 pounds and has been polished and etched to show its Widmanstatten pattern which results from two alloys of Nickel in the meteorite etching at different rates. There are no iron-nickel rocks on Earth that exibit a Widmanstatten pattern because the parent asteroid where these iron-nickel meteorites originate was destroyed by impact with another large asteroid and the new melted iron-nickel core had to cool at the very slow rate of a couple of degrees per million years to allow enough time for the nickel alloys Kamacite (the light bands which are low in nickel) and Taenite (the dark bands which are high in nickel) to separate. This spectacular complete slice has fusion crust on all sides and has a beautiful 3-D etch that shows the coarse octahedrite pattern of this Type 1A iron-nickel meteorite with also an interesting 2 inch by 1 inch black silicate inclusion. This museum quality slice comes with a black metal stand for display. Allow $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 669		Meteorite Huge Stony With Fusion Crust. Most stony meteorites are small (less than 1 pound) because the larger stony meteorites usually break apart or explode before they contact the earth. This huge 5X4X5 inch 6 pound complete stony is one of the exceptions. It is designated as an unclassified NWA (North West Africa) stony meteorite and was found by nomadic Berbers in the sands of the Sahara desert of Morocco. It is probably an ordinary chondrite which means that it consists of round silicate grains that formed at the very beginning of the solar system 4.55 billion years ago from molten globs of accreted material that stuck together to form the asteroid from which this meteorite was blasted off when two asteroids collided. All stony meteorites contain iron and are designated as either low or high iron. This large meteorite is original just as found in the desert with virtually complete thin dark brown fusion crust which occurred when the meteorite broke up and ablated at high temperature as it passed through the earth's atmosphere before contacting the ground. Also there is an interesting 1.75 x 1.5 inch group of regmaglypts that resembles a flower. This meteorite looks as though it just landed on earth yesterday as most meteorites quickly become weathered from wind and rain but fortunately meteorites will retain their fusion crust for hundreds of years if they are buried in sand in a dessert. On the bottom of the meteorite is a 2 x 1.5 inch window that has been cut and polished to show the dark brown interior with chondrules and flecks of iron-nickel metal. Complete large stony meteorites are far rarer than iron-nickel meteorites which are often found in larger sizes. Allow $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,800
Lot 670		Meteorite Necklace With Round Beads and Gold Spacer Beads. This 18.5 inch long meteorite necklace is made up of 42 8mm round NWA 869 meteorite beads and 13 14 carat gold spacer beads with a .5 inch 14 carat gold filigree clasp. Because of the great loss of meteorite (up to 80%) no more beads will be made in the future. The remaining NWA 869 meteorites have much more value as intact meteorites. As do all the hand cut and polished beads in these necklaces, the distinctive chondrules are present to prove that they are authentic stony meteorites. Also, it should be noted that these necklaces are not heavy as stony meteorites are much lighter than the familiar iron-nickel meteorites. This rare and unusual piece of meteorite jewelry comes with a certificate of authenticity. Allow $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $350 - 450. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $480
Lot 671		Meteorite Seymchan Pallasite. Two meteorites weighing 323 Kg were found in 1967 in Seymchan, a Magadan district in far eastern Russia. Originally, Seymchan was believed to be just an iron-nickel meteorite but just recently olivine crystals were found in parts of some of the Seymchan meteorites which makes it a far rarer Pallasite. Pallasites are literally gemstones from outer space containing olivine crystals mixed in with the iron-nickel matrix. This large 5.25 x 5 inch 765 gram (1.5 pound) section has been polished and etched on both sides to display the lovely, deep and distinctive Widmanstatten pattern found on a Seymchan as well as a few brown oxidized olivine crystals on one of the corners that make Seymchan a rare Pallasite. Widmanstatten patterns are unique to iron-nickel meteorites and are not found on any rocks on earth because the parent asteroid had to have been large enough to allow a slow cooling rate in the core of only a few degrees per million years. Widmanstatten patterns are created by the separation of two allows of nickel, Kamacite low in nickel and Taenite with a high nickel content. The resulting crystalline structure of intersecting bands can be used to identify the meteorite with the bands being smaller with higher nickel content. Only the rare Glorietta Mountain Pallasite has a similar Widmanstatten pattern and olivine crystals to Seymchan. It has been speculated that Seymchan could possibly be from the huge 348 Km crater on Vesta (2nd largest asteroid) which when impacted by a large asteroid ejected material all the way down to near its core. This is a museum quality and size section of one of the most beautiful and stable Pallasites and is displayed on an illusion stand. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 672		Meteorite Sikhote-Alin With Regmaglypts. This good size, 2.5 x 2.5 x .1 inch, 257 gram Sikhote-Alin iron nickel meteorite is the rarer of the two types possessing regmaglypts, small crater-like impressions that formed by ablation of Troilite when the meteorite was streaking through the sky at high temperature. The large meteorite body broke up twice during its fall to earth with only the higher breakup creating the meteorites with the regmaglypts, the lower breakup creating the shrapnel type meteorites. The shape of this meteorite is special with various sized regmaglypts and a sharp central peak on top as well as an interesting fissure down the center of the meteorite as a result of the explosive breakup. There are even some delicate flow lines remaining from the melting that took place during the meteorite passing through the earth's atmosphere. Having fallen on Feb. 12, 1947 in Siberia, Sikhote-Alin iron-nickel meteorites are the best preserved of all known iron-nickel meteorites. It is now quite rare to find such a large esthetic specimen as the meteorite field has been well searched and only small specimens are still being found. Display stand included. Allow $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $900 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 673		Paraguay Iron-Nickel Meteorite. A relatively new find of iron nickel meteorites in Paraguay has yielded some highly esthetic meteorite specimens. These iron-nickel meteorites are similar to Campo del Cielo and Sikhote-Alin meteorites in chemical and structural make-up. They are Group I coarse octahedrite irons. Even though the strewnfield is near Las Palmas, Paraquay, about 200 miles east of the Campo del Cielo strewnfield in Argentina, the best specimens of this much smaller find resemble the Sikhote-Alin meteorites more than the less esthetic looking Campos. This magnificent specimen is 3.75X3X1.5 inches and weighs 580 grams. What makes it truly special is its esthetic shape filled with small regmaglypts and a 10mm burn hole as well a deep 1.5 inch crevice near the edge of one side that perfectly illustrates the force of the explosion that tore the meteorite apart during its entry in the Earth's atmosphere several thousand years ago. A spectacular museum quality meteorite. Allow $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold