THE MARS CUBE — THE FIRST INTERPLANETARY COLLECTIBLE - photo 1
THE MARS CUBE — THE FIRST INTERPLANETARY COLLECTIBLE - photo 2
THE MARS CUBE — THE FIRST INTERPLANETARY COLLECTIBLE - photo 3
THE MARS CUBE — THE FIRST INTERPLANETARY COLLECTIBLE - photo 4

THE MARS CUBE — THE FIRST INTERPLANETARY COLLECTIBLE

Lot 71
23.02.2021 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 6 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 491281
Lot 71 | THE MARS CUBE — THE FIRST INTERPLANETARY COLLECTIBLE
Estimate value
$ 600 – 1 000
“Planet Mars: The Collector’s Cube” was the first interplanetary collectible. This limited edition, now hard to find, was created by Darryl Pitt and launched on QVC in 1997 and later sold at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Sealed in a glass vial afloat within a Lucite cube are particles of the Zagami Martian meteorite. The “Mars Cube” came accompanied with a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity and a comprehensive twenty-page “Mars Owner’s Manual.” The package was designed as a means to inspire children and adults — and be able to provide a planetary sample that would not break while being passed around.

On October 3, 1962, a farmer in Zagami, Nigeria was nearly struck by a 40-pound meteorite as it plummeted towards Earth. Pointing to a planetary origin, the specimen had an unusually young crystallization age and contained water-bearing minerals. And then in 1995 was the smoking gun: The New York Times reported that minute volumes of gas trapped in tiny bubbles within the Zagami matrix was found to match the composition of the Martian atmosphere (as determined by NASA’s Viking lander in 1976). Zagami is one of only five witnessed falls of Martian meteorites, which arrived on Earth as a result of a large asteroid slamming into Mars and ejecting material from the Martian surface into an Earth-crossing orbit.

A sterile vial contains 1/10 carat of pharmaceutically milled particles of the Zagami Martian meteorite suspended in a Lucite cube. The sample from which these Zagami particles are derived was studied by NASA.

This lot is accompanied by the Mars Owners Manual and the certificate of authenticity with which it was packaged.

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.


Lucite Cube: 65 cubic mm (2.5 cubic inches); Zagami specimen: 1/10 carat
Category:Meteorite
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

Related terms

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.
?>