Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 107

The Manuscript & Collectibles Auction

Meteorites

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 734		Large, 201 Gram Esquel, Considered The Most Beautiful Pallasite. Discovered in 1951 by a farmer in Chubut, Argentina, the single 680 Kg meteorite known as Esquel has been in great demand as the most beautiful of the rare type of meteorites known as pallasites. This rare type of meteorite consists of iron-nickel from the core of the asteroid as well as olivine crystals known as peridot from the mantle. Peridot crystals(the gem state of olivine crystals) are the only known gem stones from space found in meteorites. Esquel is considered to be the most beautiful of all pallasites and in now rarely available as the single discovered meteorite has been completely sectioned with only the main mass end piece remaining. This large 5½ x 4 x ¼" section of Esquel has been polished on both sides to get the maximum reflection of the iron-nickel matrix as well as displaying many beautiful translucent lightly shocked green to orange olivine crystals. 201 grams in 8 x 12" Riker mount. Purchased from Robert Hague (owner of the Esquel Pallasite) over 15 years ago. Estimate Value $7,500 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 735		Large 4½ Pound Sikhote-Alin Transitional Type Meteorite. This large, roughly 5 x 3 x 2" 2,061 grams(4.53 pound)s, Sikhote-Alin iron nickel meteorite is an interesting transitional specimen that has some characteristics of the shrapnel type with sharp edges and flow lines plus some shallow regmaglypts that were not fully developed at impact. 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. Having fallen on Feb. 12, 1947 in Siberia, Sikhote-Alin iron-nickel meteorites are the best preserved of all known iron-nickel meteorites. Estimate Value $3,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,740
Lot 736		20 Pound Campo Del Cielo Iron-Nickle Meteorite. This Campo del Cielo iron-nickel meteorite is large at 9 X 6 ½ X 3 inches weighing 20 pounds and has an esthetic shape covered with medium to large sized regmaglypts on one side and many smaller regmaglpts on the other side. Regmaglpts formed when the meteor passed through Earth's atmosphere and the troilite in the meteorite melted. 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 large quality Campos is rising dramatically as new specimens are getting to be very difficult to locate. Estimate Value $2,200 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 737		Very Scarce, 7 Pound Stony Meteorite with Polished Face from Morocco. 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 8 x 7 x 3", 7 pound stony meteorite end cut 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 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. This stony meteorite is a medium brown in color with a 5 3/4X2 � inch polished end cut revealing some medium and dark brown irregular shaped chondrites and flecks of iron-nickel which makes it magnetic. Estimate Value $1,800 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 738		Exceptional Meteorite Knife Blade Made From Muonionalusta Iron-Nickel Meteorite, Norrbotten, Sweden. This beautiful 6¾" long meteorite knife blade has a 2¾" blade made from a slice of the Muonionalusta iron-nickel meteorite along with a polished four inch Eudialyte handle. Muonionalusta is an iron-nickel meteorite that fell thousands of years ago in in Norrbotten, Sweden in 1906. Eudialyte is a pink, violet or plum colored gemstone from Kola, Russia. Eudialyte is used as a gemstone in jewelry but is limited due to its rarity. The four inch long meteorite blade is 1¼" wide with 2/3 of the blade polished to show the Widmanstatten pattern and 1/3 of the blade of polished reflective iron-nickel. This beautiful and valuable meteorite knife should appeal to both meteorite collectors as well as mineral collectors and comes with a small plastic stand for display. Estimate Value $1,800 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 739		Museum Quality Sikhote-Alin Meteorite With Regmaglypts, Siberia. This fairly large museum quality 3¼ x 2" 278 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 atmosphere at high temperature. The shape of this meteorite is special with various sized regmaglypts and a central peak that looks something like the beak of a bird. 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. Estimate Value $1,200 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $2,188
Lot 740		Vesta Meteorite from the Second Most Massive Body in Asteroid Belt. All of the Vesta meteorites come from a gigantic impact crater at its south pole that is so deep that it exposes the asteroid's interior. This large section of Dhofar 007 found in Oman in 1999 is 3¼ x 3" weighing a hefty 72 grams. This stony meteorite is known as an achondrite Eucrite because of high temperatures in the formation of this large asteroid. This lovely gray-brown surface show both fine and coarse lithology with large white areas in the mostly gray matrix with some shock veins visible as well. Presented in a 8 x 6" Riker mount with a photo of Vesta showing the impact crater. Estimate Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $528
Lot 741		Meteorite from the Spectacular Chelyabinsk, Russia Meteor of 2013, A Landmark Celestial Event of the 21st Century. At 9:20 A.M. on the morning of February 15, 2013 a large 8-10 ton 50 foot long meteor exploded 10-15 miles above the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia with a force 10 times the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. Captured on dashcams and cell phones, the fall proved a global news sensation. More than 1,500 people were injured from flying glass and debris from the resulting shock wave. This was the largest meteor event in the last 100 years since a large meteor exploded over a remote area of Siberia in 1907. Because of the immense explosion and ablation through Earth's atmosphere, most of the meteor was either burned up or blasted into a fine powder. More than 95% of the recovered meteorites are extremely small, less than 3 grams in weight. This beautiful fresh stony 45 x 25 x 15 mm complete specimen weighs 39.6 grams which is much larger than the vast majority recovered. It has a fresh dark brown fusion crust covering more than 95% of the meteorite with a small viewing window inside of the meteorite showing its light gray matrix mixed with a large iron rich orange chondrule and other various shaped chondrules. This stony chondrite is designated as LL5 SR4 meaning that it is of low iron even for a stony meteorite with the total iron content to be about 10 percent. It is not possible to obtain a fresher meteorite and it is very valuable for study in that there has been no contamination with Earth rocks and erosion. Comes housed in a 8 x 6" Riker mount with a photo of the explosion. Estimate Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 742		Gem Quality Admire Pallasite Meteorite, Lyon County, Kansas. This large complete section is 3½ x 3¼ " weighing 99 grams and has more than a dozen clear translucent yellow-green olivine crystals some approaching gem quality. Considered one of the most beautiful of all known pallasites in that the olivine crystals having a characteristic called chatoyancy a change of luster within a gemstone due to the way the crystals reflect light. This rare occurrence is caused by tiny void tubes which appear similar to the effect of fiber optics when the gemstone is cut parallel to the tubes. Estimate Value $900 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $528
Lot 743		Own a Piece of the Moon: Section of Important Meteorite Dhofar 908 Found in Southern Oman. This substantial section 22 x 15 x 2 mm, 1 gram from the important Lunar impact meteorite Dhofar 908 is housed in a special membrane box for easy removal and visibility on all its sides. Almost all recovered Lunar meteorites are very small. This important meteorite is classified as a Lunar impact Breccia (Polymict Breccia) and is a mix of different types of moon rocks that were blasted off the surface of the moon from an impact with a fairly large meteorite and mixed together with molten vaporized rock and solidified in a fine grain matrix. There are white clasts (rock segments) that are feldspar rich with the dark gray matrix from yet another type of rock. Cosmic radiation studies yielded the results that this meteorite was on the surface of the earth for more than 300,000 years before being discovered. Housed in an 8 x 6" Riker mount with a Hupe Collection pedigree. Estimate Value $900 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,200
Lot 744		7½ Pound Meteorite, Campo del Cielo. 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 ago in Argentino. This 5½ x 4 x 3¼" 7½ pound Campo del Cielo iron-nickel meteorites has 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. An excellent desk top example of an iron-nickel meteorite. Estimate Value $900 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,375
Lot 745		Own a Piece of Mars: Martian Meteorite Cut Section of NWA 4857. 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. In 2007 in the Sahara desert of Morocco a number of small individual meteorites with a total weight of less than 200 grams were found and submitted for analysis. This Martian meteorite (named NWA 4857) was found to be a rare Basaltic (volcanic) Martian Shergotite with vesicular gas pockets and trapped melt inclusions and represents one of the freshest Martian Shergotites found. This specimen is fairly large 12 x 11 mm weighing .9 grams and has a brown and gray brecciated matrix with flecks of iron-nickel metal widely scattered throughout. There is some original fusion crust on one of the edges. Presented in a 5½ x 4½" Riker mount. Estimate Value $900 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,440
Lot 746		Meteoric Libyan Desert Glass Tektite. 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 a 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 41/½ x 2 x 2" 300 gram specimen of Libyan Desert Glass was found buried in the sand of the Sahara (near the border of Libya and Egypt). It is a lovely medium yellow-green color with many small regmaglypt-like impressions. Comes with a 3 inch Riker Mount. Estimate Value $900 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 747		Fine Gebel Kamil Ataxite Iron-Nickle Meteorite, Egypt. The Gebel Kamil Ataxite with 19.8% nickel content was found February 2009 in the East Uweinat Desert of Egypt. A total of about 1600 Kg of meteorites were found consisting of hundreds of pieces of shrapnel type meteorites illustrating the tremendous destructive explosion of impact. The unique surface of this meteorite has an interesting lovely brown textured surface somewhat reminiscent of dinosaur skin. This 1½ pound specimen is 3 x 3 x 1¼ " and has one side with complete dark brown fusion crust with the back side of the meteorite showing some weathering from exposure to the wind and sand. Almost all of this rare meteorite has been found either in or near by the 45 meter Kamil impact crater. Estimate Value $800 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 748		Pallasovka Pallasite Meteorite, "The Gemstones From Space". Pallasites contain olivine crystals, the gem form being known as Peridot within the matrix of the iron-nickel. Pallasovka is one of the scarcer Pallasites with only a single meteorite weighing 198 Kg being found about 18 Km from the town of Pallasovka. This 69½ gram polished slice is 55 x 45 x 6 mm with more than 50% of its iron- nickel surface covered with olivine crystal with some slightly translucent in yellow and orange colors. The quality of the olivine crystals is excellent. Estimate Value $500 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $240
Lot 749		King Tutankhamun Style Scarab Made From Libyan Desert Glass Plus Large Libyan Desert Glass Nugget. Discovered in King Tutankhamun's tomb, a scarab centered in an amulet was carved out of Libyan desert glass dated at 28 million years old. Libyan Desert Glass actually is a tektite of almost pure silica which formed when a large meteorite exploded over the desert vaporizing itself and a lot of the sand and fell back to earth in a variety of shapes as pale yellow to yellow-green glass. These gemstones of the desert were highly valued by the ancient Egyptians, just as they are today. This lot contains a 1.75 inch long Egyptian style scarab with the eye of Rah carved on its back that is similar in style and size to the one in King Tut's amulet, plus a very large 4 x 2.5 inch 189 gram premium pale green nugget of Libyan Desert Glass with a meteorite-like surface of craters and scoops. Both specimens are housed in a 8 x 6 inch Riker mount. Estimate Value $500 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 750		Brahin Pallasite Meteorite from the Minsk Region, Russia. Pallasites are indeed "Gemstones" from space as they are a rare type of iron-nickel meteorite that have beautiful olivine crystals interspersed in the iron-nickel matrix. The first Brahin Pallasite meteorite was discovered in 1810 by farmers in the Minsk, Belorussia region of Russia. In the 200 years since then only eleven meteorites have been found from this fall totaling about 1000 kg. This 48.9 gram 2 x 2" polished specimen displays many olivine crystals evenly interspersed throughout the iron-nickel matrix. Even though the section is thick, there is some translucence of the olivine crystals when held up to a light source. In 6 x 5" Riker mount. Estimate Value $400 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 751		Set of Four Major Shapes of Indochinite Tektites. Tektites are glass-like objects that formed when a very large meteorite impacted the earth vaporizing itself and melting earth rocks to over 2000 degrees. The black Indochinites are found mostly in and around Thailand and are a glossy black color made up of mostly amorphous silica somewhat resembling obsidian. They have been dated to be about 800,000 years old which would be the date of the meteorite impact.when they formed out of the molten earth and meteorite. As the molten rock solidifies into small objects, if there is no rotation it will form a sphere, a slow rotation will form a flattened disc, fast rotation will form a rod or dumbell shape and a very fast rotation will form a teardrop shape. These four examples of formation are contained in a 8 x 6" Riker mount. Estimate Value $300 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold