Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 35

Manuscript and Collectibles Auction

Meteorites

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 836		Type Set Of All Three Types Of Meteorites. There are three different types of meteorites and this lot has an example of each one. (A) Stony meteorite Sayhal Uhaymir 00l, a 2 1/4"x2" polished and etched section weighing 26 gms. It is dark gray with lighter brown chondrites. This ordinary Chrondrite stony meteorite was found Marcy 16, 2000 in Oman. (B) Gibeon Iron-Nicket meteorite from Namitria, Africa is represented by a thick 2" long by 1/2" polished and etched specimen that shows its Widmanstatten pattern. It weighs 57 gms. (C) Brahin Pallanite, a 3/4"x3/4" polished section weighing 10 gms. Pallasites, the rarest of the three types is a mixture of iron-nickel and olivine (Peridot). The olivine in this specimen is yellow from the heat and shock of entry in the atmosphere. Displayed in a 6"x5" Ryker box. Add $10 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $200 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $173
Lot 837		10½ Pound Polished Section of A Campo del Cielo Meteorite. This unusually large 7" x 7" x 1 3/4" section of a Campo del Cielo iron-nickel meteorite has been polished and etched to show its Widmanstatten pattern which in a Campo meteorite resembles a puzzle with the two different alloys of nickel etching out differently. The back side of the meteorite has been left original with large regmaglypts visible. Also, two of the edges are irregular as found on the complete meteorite. There are also a number of dark spots which are Troolite (iron-sulfide). These Troolite inclusions are softer than the iron-nickel matrix and melt off as the meteorite passes through the atmosphere if on the surface of the meteorite creating Regmaghypts (thumbprints). At 10 1/2 pounds this is one of the largest polished and etched sections available. Melt sections are less than one pound. A tree section wooden base is included to mount the meteorite for display. Add $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,250 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,150
Lot 838		Aesthetic Sikhote-Alin Meteorite With Regmaglypts. At 10:30 AM on Feb. 12, 1947, an enormous fireball exploded several miles above the Sikhote-Alin mountains of Siberia. Two distinctly different types of meteorites resulted from this explosion: sharp-edged, shrapnel-like pieces and the much rarer and more desirable, gently sculpted pieces with many small thumbprint-like depressions known as regmaglypts. Regmaglypts resulted from the melting of the iron sulfide inclusions in the iron-nickel matrix during the meteorite's descent through the earth's atmosphere. This spectacular 4x2 1/2", 812 gram iron-nicket meteorite is loaded with many small regmaglypts and stands on one flat edge. Larger Sikhote-Alin meteorites such as this nearly 2 pound specimen are in high collector demand. This meteorite has that fresh gun metal gray color that defines the best quality meteorites from this famous fall. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $900 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 839		A Piece of the Planet Mars. Most offerings of Martian meteorites are just a few grains due to the high value of these very rare meteorites. This .7" x .6" .656 gram section of Dar al Gani 489 is large enough to hold in your hand and examine without the use of a magnifying glass. The entire stony meteorite weighed 2.146 Kg and was found in the Sahara desert of Libya in 1997. Classified as a Martian Basalt (Shegottite) by Dr. Ian Franchi of the United Kingdom, the analysis of its oxygen isotopes identified it as a Martian meteorite. The specimen is a dark gray in color with light gray and black inclusions. The Matian rock was a basalt rock originally formed by a Martian volcano and blasted into space when a large asteroid impacted the Martian surface millions of years ago. A very small number of rocks from this impact found their way to Earth after traveling in outer space for several million years. This particular meteorite was only the 14th Martian meteorite found and identified. Since then a few more meteorites have been identified as originating from the planet Mars, but many of the Martian meteorites are in museums and are unavailable to collectors. This very valuable meteorite section is protected by a 4" x 3" Ryker mount. Add $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $800 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $863
Lot 840		Large 10½ Pound Campo del Cielo Iron-Nicket Meteorite. This 7" x 4" iron-nickel meteorite weighs a hefty 10 1/2 pounds and possesses an esthetically sculpted shape with many regmaglypts (thumb prints) as well as sharp edges. Campo del Cielo translates as "Valley of the Sky" and fell more than 4000 years ago in Gran Cahco, Argentina. These meteorites were written about by Spanish explorers in 1576 and a huge 60 ton meteorite was taken back to Spain and melted down for its iron. The best specimens of Campos such as this superlative specimen have been found higher up the mountains and are in better condition than those found down in the valley. Add $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $800 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $805
Lot 841		Large Shrapnel-Type Sikhote-Alin Iron-Nickel Meteorite. This large 5 x 3 1/2", 3 3/4 lb. Sikhote-Alin iron-nicket meteorite is a very attractive example of the shrapnel type. It has some very sharp edges on the top to indicate what a tremendous explosion occurred when this very large meteorite entered the earth's atmosphere in 1947. Some shrapnel-type meteorites were found deeply imbedded in trees in the forest where they came down. The bottom of this meteorite shows several of the sheer planes that were literally ripped apart. It nicely stands on this base with the extremely sharp peak at the top. There also is a sharp "bottle cap opener" shaped impression that probably could be used to open a bottle cap. That would make this iron-nicket meteorite a 4.55 billion-year-old bottle opener. This is an excellent example of a meteorite from the asteroid belt. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $650 - 900. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $920
Lot 842		Two-Pound Meteorte From The Most Famous Meteorite Crater. Iron-nickel meteorites from the meteor that struck near Winslow, Arizona can only be obtained from collections as that site has been closed to collectors for many years. These meteorites have been given the name Canyon Diablo, named for the closest area to the crater. This esthetic 980 gram iron-nicket meteorite is 3 1/2" x 2 1/2". It has one sharp peak and several regmaglypts plus an attractive gun metal gray color. Also included with this specimen is a red-colored copy of the Meteor Crater Exploration & Mining Company stock certificate good for two shares and signed by Brandon Barringer on April 15, 1928. Barringer believed that millions of tons of iron were buried inside the meteor crater, but his company quickly went bankrupt when no iron was discovered inside the crater. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $600 - 900. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $920
Lot 843		Whole Stony 2 Pound Meteorite From the Sahara Desert (Morocco and Algeria). Whole intact stony meteorites are rarely encountered since most finds consist of a single meteorite, usually weighing at most only a few pounds. The recovered meteorite is named for the region where discovered and sectioned and polished to show internal structures and sold to eager collectors. This is a limited rare opportnity to acquire a whole meteorite with fusion crust (the burned brown to black thin outer layer from the intense heat of passage through the atmosphere). The supply of meteorites will be exhausted quickly as no more fall there as on any other region of the earth. The ones recovered by Berbers and Bedouins may have remained undisturbed in the Sahara Desert for more than 10,000 years. Their pristine surfaces are preserved because of the dry desert conditions, which eliminate the weathering due to wind and water that occurs under normal conditions. This large 4"x3"x2 1/2" 934 gm dark brown stony meteorite has many interesting features. It has almost complete original fusion crust just chipped away in a few places where the meteorite's interior can be viewed. It appears to have very large chondrules. Chondrules are nearly sperical silicate grains that were once molten droplets that were part of the interstellar cloud that condensed to form all of the planets and asteroids. Also, two of the sides are smooth from ablating and two of the notes are rough from the explosion that took place several miles up in the atmosphere when their meteor came to earth long ago. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $550 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $431
Lot 844		A Meteorite Section From The Asteroid Vesta. Meteorites have been identified as having originated from the moon, Mars and the asteroid Vesta. No other asteroid or planet has been identified positively as the source of any known meteorite. Vesta is a very large asteroid with a diameter of over 326 miles and shows evidence of once having lava flow with a distinctive light and dark surface somewhat similar to our moon. It also has a gigantic impact crater that is so deep that it exposes the asteroid's interior. There is a small group of stony meteorites called Eucrites that show a similar spectral analysis to the surface composition of Vesta. This 1 1/2" x 1.2", 6.3 gram section of NWA 3147 is a Basaltic Eucrite Achondrite meteorite meaning that it formed out of lava rock on the surface of Vesta when a large meteorite struck the surface of Vesta many millions of years ago. There is some fusion crust on one edge and both sides have been carefully ground and polished revealing a pale gray matrix interspersed with light-colored Plagioclasse laths. The entire meteorite NWA 3147 only weighed 290 grams and was found in the desert of Morocco in 2005. This valuable specimen is housed in a 4" x 3" Ryker mount. Add $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $200 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $173
Lot 845		Gem Stones From Space. This large 4x2½" slice weighing 143 gms is a polished section from the rarest type of meteorites known as pallisites. This type of meteorite originated in the mantle-core boundary of a very large planetary body that broke apart from collisions in the asteroid belt over 4 billion years ago. Pallasites are a combination of both yellow-green olivine and iron-nickel. The gemstones of olivine known as Peridot are mixed in the iron-nicket matrix. This spectacular specimen displays some clear golden colored olivine crystals when held up to a bright light. The irregular side displays the original fusion crust edge. The Brahin pallasites were found in 1810 in Belarus, Russia. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a large specimen of a rare pallasite. Add $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $800 - 1,100. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,323
Lot 846		Two Hand Axes From the Homo Heidelbergensis Culture. These two hand axes are from the Achelean and are between 150,000 to 300,000 years old. Both hand axes possess the lovely brown patina that is found on the best quality hand axes from the Western Sahara Desert. The lustrous brown color is known as desert varnish which occurs when the top side of the hand axe is sand blasted over thousands of years. Homo heidelbergensis was an archaic Home species that may have been one of our direct ancestors. The larger hand axe is 7" x2 1/2" and is shaped into a sharp point which was probably used as a weapon, whereas the 5" x 4" hand axe was most likely used to cut meat. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $350 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $311