BJURBÖLE — RECOVERED AFTER CRASHING THROUGH BALTIC SEA ICE, AN INDIVIDUAL FRAGMENT WITH MUSEUM LABEL - photo 1

BJURBÖLE — RECOVERED AFTER CRASHING THROUGH BALTIC SEA ICE, AN INDIVIDUAL FRAGMENT WITH MUSEUM LABEL

Lot 59
23.02.2021 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 21 250
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 491269
Lot 59 | BJURBÖLE — RECOVERED AFTER CRASHING THROUGH BALTIC SEA ICE, AN INDIVIDUAL FRAGMENT WITH MUSEUM LABEL
Estimate value
$ 6 000 – 8 000
On the evening of March 12, 1899, a bright fireball was observed over the Baltic Sea off the coast of what was at the time the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. The event was reported in Helsinki’s major newspaper Päivälehti:

“A large and bright meteor flew over our city from the northwest to the southeast at 9.30 pm. The meteor lit up the area like a giant light bulb. The clouds had golden undertones. After about a minute, the meteor broke into many small pieces by making a thunderous noise. The sound lasted for several minutes. The blast shook houses to their foundations. People went out of their homes and invaded the streets and gardens. Some thought that the artillery had fired in the Fortress of Viabord while others thought it was the end of the world. Reportedly, the same phenomenon was followed in the eastern and western part of the city. To have a better understanding of this phenomenon, we invite the public to send comments to the meteorological observatory. It is important to know when and for how long the phenomenon was seen, how much time elapsed between the appearance of the fireball and the explosion, and also the duration of the explosion and in which direction the phenomenon moved. Ideally, the indicator should indicate on a drawing, the direction of the meteor compared with the position of the witness.”

As a result of Finnish citizenry’s efforts, the trajectory of the fireball was triangulated and its impact point was determined to be in the Baltic Sea just off the coast. The impact created a three-meter hole in the ice about 50 kilometers from Helsinki. Casework was constructed from which seawater could be partitioned and partially siphoned to enable the extraction of the meteorite. The main mass is on display at the Finnish Museum of Natural History, from where this specimen was obtained in an exchange.

Bjurböle is an extremely distinctive meteorite. It is unusually friable and its fine-grained creamy matrix is packed with chondrules (spherical silicate-rich droplets that aggregated along with dust, metal and sulfide to form the planets and asteroids). Various chondrule types are in evidence. This sample features a well-affixed, slightly yellowed, catalog stamp of the Finnish Geological Museum in which the “0.350” written is a reference to this sample’s estimated weight. This is a fine example of a historic meteorite — and one of the very few meteorites recovered after falling into a body of water.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.


73 x 75 x 58mm (3 x 3 x 2.25 in.) and 339.9g (0.75 lbs)
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
09.02.2021 – 23.02.2021
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.