"Not an Ordinary Rock" Estimated to Fetch Up to $4 Million... Largest Martian Meteorite on Earth

To Be Auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on July 16
Estimated Hammer Price Up to 5.4 Billion KRW

The largest Martian meteorite on Earth, weighing nearly 25 kg, is set to be auctioned in mid-July. CNN reported on July 2 (local time) that the estimated hammer price for this meteorite could reach up to $4 million (approximately 5.4 billion KRW).

According to the auction house Sotheby's, the auction for the Martian meteorite named 'NWA 16788' will begin on July 16 in New York, USA. The meteorite measures 374.7 x 279.4 x 152.4 mm and weighs 24.67 kg. It is the largest Martian meteorite ever found on Earth, about 70% larger than the second-largest Martian meteorite. To date, approximately 400 Martian meteorites have been discovered on Earth. Since most meteorites break into small fragments while passing through Earth's atmosphere, finding a Martian meteorite of significant weight on Earth is extremely rare.

The largest Martian meteorite on Earth to be auctioned on the 16th. Sotheby's website

'NWA 16788' was discovered by a meteorite hunter on July 16, 2023, in Kiffa Kaf, Niger, Africa. A small fragment of this meteorite was donated to the Shanghai Astronomy Museum in China for compositional analysis. Sotheby's stated, "NWA 16788 is the largest Martian meteorite ever found on Earth and the most valuable of its kind ever to come to auction," adding, "This meteorite holds special significance." The auction house further explained, "Weathered over millions of years across time and space, this meteorite's enormous size and vivid reddish hue make it a once-in-a-generation find," and "It provides a tangible link to Mars, which has long captured the human imagination."

Sotheby's revealed that analysis of the internal structure of 'NWA 16788' suggests it was blasted off the Martian surface by a powerful asteroid impact and ejected into space. Part of the meteorite's surface is reported to be coated with a glassy crust formed as it passed through Earth's atmosphere. Sotheby's has set the estimated sale price at $2 million to $4 million.