Bonhams offered several meteorites up for sale at its Natural History sale on December 6.
Of the lots we focussed on, the larger Martian meteorite - a slice of the LA 002 meteorite which was found in Los Angeles - sold at $6,100, close to its lower estimate.
One piece which intrigued bidders was an impressive looking Gibeon meteorite. The piece is an octahedrite - a kind of iron meteorite, examples of which are rare.
 Gibeon meteorite |
The surface of the meteorite has been crushed and twisted by the descent to earth, and the striking effect is enhanced by the naturally patinated exterior, caused by resting for thousands of years in the Kalahari Desert.
The 27kg piece was bought for $5,795, and may well be placed at the centre of someone's space collection.
The biggest sale however was a slice of meteorite from the Fukang descent. The unearthly beauty of the pallasite with its glinting olivine gems proved irresistible to a collector who paid $15,860 for it - almost exactly its higher estimate.
The Fukang region looks set to be the source of the world's most beautiful and expensive meteorites for some time to come.
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Images: Bonhams
