NEW YORK METEORITE MAIN MASS - photo 1

NEW YORK METEORITE MAIN MASS

Lot 40
25.08.2020 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
$ 20 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 389984
Lot 40 | NEW YORK METEORITE MAIN MASS
Estimate value
$ 25 000 – 40 000
Lot Description:
There are two cut faces; one is etched and one is not. The etched face has a thin veneer of oxidation across its face. A troilite nodule is near the center. The highly weathered dark exterior surface is covered in a thick layer of oxidation. The distinct IIIAB crystalline pattern can be discerned while viewing the exterior surface of the meteorite; taenite bands are rendered in relief. This is the main mass — the largest portion — of the New York meteorite.
113 x 73 x 63 mm (4.5 x 2.75 x 2.5 in.)
2.047kg (4.5 lbs)

Each of the 63,914 meteorites currently part of the scientific record has its own distinctive name. Now offered is the New York meteorite. Meteorites — not to be confused with meteors, the luminescent phenomena in the night sky — are fragments of natural material from outer space that impact Earth. Named by a committee of scientists on the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society after the closest city, town, geological feature or geopolitical area to which they are “delivered,” meteorites originate from asteroids, the Moon and Mars. When meteorites fall in places bereft of such geographic and topographic landmarks (such as in the world’s great deserts), meteorites are sequentially named by scientists after the collection area in which they were found; that is the case for the North West African (“NWA”) specimens in this offering (see lots 12, 13 and 27). The current offering, “New York”, was purchased by renowned French meteorite dealer Luc Labenne from Mark Grubb, who reported that his grandfather had purchased the meteorite around 1965 from the captain of a fishing vessel in New York harbor. Given its similarities to the famous Cape York meteorites of Greenland and the fishing grounds explored by Mr. Grubb’s grandfather, it is possible this is a Cape York iron, possibly purchased from an Inuit by the ship caption. However, its chemistry does not quite comport with Cape York, implying this might be a different meteorite. As a result, NomCom assigned this meteorite with its own name — and this will forever be the only meteorite ever named “New York”.

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

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
12.08.2020 – 25.08.2020
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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