Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 113

The Manuscript and Collectibles Auction

Meteorites

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 968		Slice of Esquel, 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. There are three major types of meteorites: iron, stony and stony-iron. Pallasites are stony-iron meteorites that originate from the core-mantle boundary of large planetary size asteroids that were destroyed early in the formation of the solar system. 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 now rarely available as the single discovered meteorite has been completely sectioned with only the main mass end piece remaining. This large 74 x 58 x 3 mm 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 olivine crystals. It weighs a hefty 63.2 grams and is displayed in a 6 x 5.5 inch Riker mount. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 969		Large 170 Gram Section of a 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 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 4.5 x 4.1 inch 170.2 gram slice has more than 50% olivine crystals and silicate inclusions in its iron-nickel matrix and has been polished to reveal this interesting interior, including many translucent olivine crystals. The silicate inclusions are found in a type of stony iron meteorite known as a Mesosiderite. Consequently, this Seymchan section is a mix between a Pallasite and a Mesosiderite. The olivine crystals in Seymchan are smaller in diameter than in most Pallasites. Seymchan slices are remarkably stable. Comes in an 8 x 6 inch Riker Mount for presentation. Estimated Value $1,200 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 970		Rare 101 Gram Slice of a Silicated NWA 5549 Iron-Nickel Meteorite. All silicated Iron-Nickel meteorites are very rare and important because they match up with oxygen isotopes with the also-rare primitive achondrites like Winonaite. Most stony meteorites are chondrites, meaning that they have round chondrites in their make up. Achondrites lose most of their original chondrites because of metamorphism and partial melting. This sizeable 101.4 grams 2 x 1¾ inch partial slice of NWA 5549 found in Algeria in 2008 has been polished and etched showing many silicate inclusions in the iron-nickel fields. The silicate inclusions are chondritic in chemical composition but being recrystallized makes them an achondrite. Matching up with Winonaite means that the IAB NWA 5549 originated from the same parent body. Winonaites came from closer to the surface and NWA 5549 from deeper in the core of the yet-to-be discovered planetesimal body. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 971		Meteorite Etched Gibeon Slice. Gibeon iron-nickel meteorites are in very high demand as they are hard to find and possess the most beautiful internal crystalline structure when cut and etched. Gibeon meteorites were found in the Kalahari desert of Namibia, Africa from a fall that occurred thousands of years ago. This large 5.25 x 4 x .4 inch, 1002 gram (over 2.2 pounds) section has an extremely detailed, beautiful octahedral Widmanstatten pattern. This interesting geometric pattern resulted from the separation of two alloys of nickel, taenite and kamicite that occurred on the large parent asteroid before it was blown apart early in the formation of the solar system. This crystalline pattern does not exist on any rocks on earth and only forms when the iron core of the asteroid cools very slowly at no more than one degree Celsius per million years. This slice is from an old collection and has the original fusion crust on top. It is protected in a 8 x 6 inch Riker mount. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 972		Meteorite 520 Gram Sikote-Alin With Flow Lines. This large 520 gram 2¾ x 2½ x 1½" Sikhote-Alin Iron-Nickel meteorites is a splendid and most interesting example of a shrapnel type Sikhote-Alin meteorite. It shows many features of the huge explosion that took place on Feb. 10, 1947 high above the Sikhote-Alin mountains of Siberia. The enormous explosion tore the meteorite into thousands of smaller pieces and knocked people off their feet several miles away from the blast. This distinctive meteorite shows signs of the explosive shearing force with sharp edges, metal flowing over the edges and many of the delicate flow lines that occurred when the Iron-Nickel surface melted from the intense heat of passing through the earth's atmosphere. Displayed on a magnetic stand. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 973		Zagami Historic Martian Meteorite Slice. Meteorites from the planet Mars are so rare that usually only small fragments are available for sale. These rare meteorites have been identified as being from Mars because of their oxygen isotope analysis and crystallization age of 150-200 million years. Zagami was one of the first Martian meteorites found near Zagami Rock, Katsina Province, Nigeria on October 3, 1962. It was an observed fall which makes it even rarer as only a very few Martian meteorites share this distinction. It was designated as a rare Basaltic Martian Shergottite that was ejected from the large impact that occurred on Mars millions of years ago. This sizeable 17X10 mm segment weighs 0.6 gram and has the distinctive fine grained greenish gray basalt matrix that defines the Zagami meteorite and proves its volcanic origin on Mars. It is much larger than the usual grain sized specimens and can be easily studied for detail and held in one's hand for a unique Martian experience. Estimated Value $800 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,200
Lot 974		Rare Offering of Martian Meteorite Slice Found in California. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a .198 gram slice of LA 002 a Basaltic Shergotite Martian meteorite. The first two meteorites found in the Los Angeles area just happen to be very rare Martian meteorites. Two meteorite stones weighing 452½ and 245½ grams were found by Bob Verish on October 30, 1999 in his backyard while he was cleaning out a box of rocks that was part of his rock collection. He collected the two specimens 20 years before in the Mojave Desert and thought that they looked unusual. Both of these meteorites were classified as a Basaltic Shergotite Martian meteorite by scientists from UCLA. Estimated Value $800 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,200
Lot 975		Chelyabinsk 39.6 Gram Meteorite from the Largest Meteorite Fall Since 1907. 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 ancient city of Chelyabinsk, Russia with the force of over 500,000 tons of TNT, 10 times the force of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. More than 1,500 people were injured from flying glass and debris from the resulting shock wave. This was the largest meteor event since a large meteor exploded over a remote area of Siberia in 1907. Most of the meteor was either burned up or blasted into a fine powder when it entered Earth's atmosphere; more than 95% of the recovered meteorites are extremely small, less than 3 grams in weight. This complete 45 x 25 x 15 mm stony specimen weighs 39.6 grams. It has a fresh dark brown fusion crust covering more than 95% of the meteorite with a small viewing window 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 being 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 an 8 x 6 inch Riker mount with a photo of the explosion. Estimated Value $600 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $375
Lot 976		Famous Canyon Diablo Iron-Nickel Meteorite. This 514.3 gram (over 1 pound) 3 x 2½ x 1 inch Canyon Diablo iron-nickel meteorite is a palm-sized specimen of one of the most sought-after iron meteorites by collectors. Most currently available Canyon Diablo meteorites are just a few grams in weight. Any sizeable specimens are hard to come by as the area around Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona has been closed for many years. The nearly-one-mile-in-diameter crater was created over 50,000 years ago when a 50 foot-in-diameter meteor exploded high over the Arizona desert. This aesthetically-pleasing meteorite possesses several regmaglypts (thumbprints). Since no specimens are available from the source at Meteor Crater, the only way to acquire a specimen is when specimens are made available from collections. Estimated Value $600 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $600
Lot 977		Martian Mini-Meteorite Complete And Uncut With Fusion crust. 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. This Martian meteorite(named NWA 2987) was found to be a rare achondrite basaltic (volcanic) Martian Shergotite and represents one of the freshest Martian Shergotites found. This specimen is 12 x 7 mm, weighing 0.45 grams and is greenish in color with some of its original black fusion crust from burning in the Earth�s atmosphere. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a complete meteorite that you can hold in your hand from the planet Mars. Preserved in a 8 x 6 inch Riker mount. Estimated Value $500 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $600
Lot 978		Gem Quality 495 Gram Stony Meteorite. This gem quality 4 x 2½ x 2", 495 gram (over one pound) was found in the Sahara desert and is designated as an NWA meteorite. It is magnetic like all stony meteorites that do not come from a planet and is probably an ordinary chondrite meteorite with chondrules. Chondrules are mostly round bits of material that cooled and joined together to form the asteroids and planets when the solar system was formed. What makes this specimen special is it being completely covered in its original fusion crust with a one inch window cut on one edge that show the dark brown interior of the meteorite with flecks of iron which is definitive of most ordinary chondrite meteorites. Fresh. Estimated Value $500 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 979		Meteorite Esthetic 5 Pound Campo Del Cielo. This 4x 3 x 3", 5 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. 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 as demand for meteorites has been steadily increasing. Estimated Value $500 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $400
Lot 980		American Brenahm Pallasite Meteorite. 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 when it was designated a pallasite, which is a mixture of an iron-nickel matrix with crystals of olivine. This 1 x 1 x ¾ inch 44.9 gram section has been polished on four sides showing several green olivine crystals in the iron-nickel matrix with the remaining side still showing its original surface with regmaglypts. This three-dimensional specimen is presented on a custom magnetic stand. Estimated Value $300 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $200
Lot 981		Imilac Pallasite Specimen showing Olivine Crystals on 4 Sides. Pallasites are special iron-nickel meteorites that contain Olivine crystals known as Peridot in their Gem form. The Imilac Pallasite was discovered in the Atacama Desert of Chile in 1822. Only sections cut from the larger stones show Olivine crystals such as this 57.5 gram section cut from a large piece that came from the British Museum. It is 35 x 30 x 18 mm and has been polished on four sides showing a mix of olivine crystals and the iron-nickel matrix as well as heat-affected olivine on the side that was not polished. On a magnetic stand. Estimated Value $300 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $240
Lot 982		2½ Pound Nantan Iron-Nickel Meteorite. The Nantan Iron-Nickel meteorite is one of the earliest meteorites that was an observed fall. It was recorded that it fell May 11, 1516 in the Nantan County of Guangxi Province of China. The meteorite fall was described as "stars falling from the northeast direction, five to six fold long, waving like snakes and dragons". It is a seldom offered meteorite composed of 92.35% iron and 6.96% nickel. This 3 x 2 x 2" 2½ pound meteorite has the usual compact shape and dark brown color that is common with Nantan meteorites with shallow regmaglypts. Estimated Value $250 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $175
Lot 983		Large Specimen Rose Quartz. Free-form design with vivid strawberry and pinkish color hues. Mounted on a wooden base. Dimensions: Hight 17", Width 8". A hole has been drilled thru the base and can be used for a lamp. Weight: 47 lbs Rose quartz is believed to restore trust and harmony in relationships while promoting deep inner calmness with a sense of peace. Estimated Value $250 - UP View details and enlarged photo	Realized $132