Top 5 Most Expensive Meteorites Ever Sold

An asteroid is a moving rock in outer space that moves across the galaxies whereas a meteor is a rock that enters a planet's atmosphere. A meteorite, on the other hand, is a piece of the same rock but only smaller that breaks down or shrinks in size due to the heat while falling down to earth.

A meteorite will generally weigh between a gram to a few kilograms. On top of that, the price can get really expensive because of how rare it is. Some meteorites will have different material compositions that are rarely found on earth.

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Here we would like to share with you some of the meteorites that are found on earth with prices that will blow your mind.

5. Bur-Abor ($600,000-$800,000)

The rock which is known as Bur-Abor is a meteorite specimen found in Kenya in 1997. It was sold in Los Angeles in May 2021 at the Bonhams auction with a hefty price tag of $600,000 - $800,000.

The rock is definitely one of a kind as it was formed millions of years as it makes its way into space as the rock became part of the asteroid's heavy metal liquid core.

Some parts of the rocks are now being displayed at the Natural History Museum of London. The primary mass was sold in Bonhams weighing 274kg and was never brushed or cleaned, maintaining the purity of the rock.

4. Conception Junction ($775,299.24)

The Conception Junction meteorite was found in 2006 near the same city as its name with a population of only 202 people. One farmer found this rock buried under a mountain and finally brought it to an archeologist from Washington University, St Louis stating that the rock is rarely found and worth $750,000.

The meteorite is a metal-type pallasite that weighs around 37.5 pounds. Karl Aston found that rock has donated a big portion of the rock to museums and universities despite being able to sell most part of the rock.

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Randy Korotev, a geologist identify the rock as something that has a term for things that people carry to it called "meteorwrongs" which means a land rock or sediments that looks strange to the extent that some perceived it as an alien creature.

Unfortunately, only 20 pallasite meteorite overall was ever found in the US.

3. Brenham ($934,680.32)

The Brenham meteorite fell onto earth around 20,000 years ago and was found in Kiowa County, Kansas in 1882. This rock is another pallasite that is formed from metal rock. When cut, the pallasite exposes shiny olivin crystal(also known as peridot) that has been formed inside the rock.

This meteorite was found close to the Haviland Crater which is considered from the same meteor that forms it. Its primary mass of it is 1,430 pounds and is worth $934,680.32.

There are several specimens of the Brenham meteorite that exists today. Two of the primary ones will be in the private collection in Texas while the second one is known as "The Space Wanderer" weighing 1,000 pounds and is being displayed in Greensburg Kansas in the Big Well.

2. Willamette ($1,100,000 - $1,300,000)

The Williamette Meteorite is a 15.5-tonne meteorite that is made from metal with a medium octahedrite configuration. This meteorite has a smooth touch on it since the surface melts as it enters our atmosphere.

An asteroid with a molten iron core like the Willamette Meteorite produces chucks just like this when it collides with other asteroids that expose its core and creates debris that can become meteorites. This might have happened billions of years ago despite not anyone ever confirming it for sure.

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It is now being displayed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York since 1906 and is now worth $1.1-$1.3 million. There are roughly 25,000 meteorites on earth but only 600 of them are made from metal.

1. Fukang ($1,773,593)

It was found in the year 2000 at Fukand Mountain and is also a pallasite-type meteorite made from metal rocks with the formation of olivin crystals or magnesium silicate. The structure is arranged in what is called a nickel-based metal matrix.

This meteorite is believed to be 4.5 billion years old meaning that it fell down on earth almost at the age of earth itself. After it was found in China, it weighs a staggering 2,211 pounds.

A Chinese businessman extracts 44 pounds from it and showed it at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Ever since then the meteorite has been studied and is considered the rarest and oldest meteorite ever to be found on Earth.

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