SEYMCHAN PALLISITIC IRON METEORITE CUBES — CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE DRAMATIZED IN THREE DIMENSIONS - photo 1
SEYMCHAN PALLISITIC IRON METEORITE CUBES — CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE DRAMATIZED IN THREE DIMENSIONS - photo 2

SEYMCHAN PALLISITIC IRON METEORITE CUBES — CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE DRAMATIZED IN THREE DIMENSIONS

Lot 43
25.08.2020 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 9 375
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 389987
Lot 43 | SEYMCHAN PALLISITIC IRON METEORITE CUBES — CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE DRAMATIZED IN THREE DIMENSIONS
Estimate value
$ 1 500 – 2 000
Lot Description:
These two specimens were cut from a larger meteorite and then machined into cubes to reveal Seymchan’s robust crystalline fingerprint, an attribute which can only derive from unearthly origins. The meteorite from which these cubes were hewn was once part of the iron core of an asteroid that experienced an impact and shattered. Portions of the core were propelled into an Earth-crossing orbit. Modern fashioning.
32 x 32 x 32mm & 30 x 30 x 30mm
250.4g & 219.4g

An iron meteorite’s shimmering crystalline fingerprint is rendered in three dimensions when fashioned as cubes. Found in a part of Siberia made infamous as the remote location of Stalin’s gulags, the first masses of Seymchan were found in a streambed in the 1960s. Identified as meteorites, they were named Seymchan for a nearby town. The dispersion of olivine in Seymchan is extremely heterogeneous. Some specimens are olivine rich (see lot 14) and some are olivine poor; some specimens have no olivine whatsoever. The examples now offered are of the latter variety. Seymchan meteorites are unusually resistant to oxidation due to their extremely high iridium content. Most Seymchan meteorites are prosaically shaped; it’s all about the splendor within. When cut and fashioned into slices, spheres and cubes, Seymchan showcases a resplendent internal crystalline structure. This latticework, known as a Widmanstätten pattern, is indicative of a slow cooling rate which provided sufficient time — millions of years — for the two metallic alloys to orient into the crystalline matrix now seen. As this structure does not appear naturally on Earth, the presence of a Widmanstätten pattern is diagnostic for the identification of an iron meteorite.

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@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

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.