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3w ago

Largest Known Martian Meteorite Sells for $5.3 Million at Sotheby’s

Its sale to an undisclosed buyer has raised questions about future scientific access to the rare sample.

A Martian meteorite, weighing 54.388 lbs. (24.67 kg), said to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth, estimated at $2 - 4 million, is displayed at Sotheby's, in New York, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, part of their Geek Week auction, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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A Martian meteorite, weighing 54.388 lbs. (24.67 kg), said to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth, estimated at $2 - 4 million, is displayed at Sotheby's, in New York, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, part of their Geek Week auction, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The identity of the rock collector has not been revealed.

Overview

  • The 54-pound (25 kg) meteorite NWA 16788, the biggest fragment of Mars on Earth, fetched a $4.3 million hammer price and about $5.3 million including fees.
  • Recovered in Niger’s Sahara Desert in November 2023, the specimen was authenticated as an olivine-microgabbroic shergottite after lab comparisons with Viking probe atmospheric data.
  • Representing nearly 7 percent of all Martian material on Earth and one of roughly 400 known Martian meteorites, it drew a pre-sale estimate of $2 million to $4 million.
  • Offered as part of Sotheby’s Geek Week natural history auction featuring 122 lots, the sale underscores the growing role of private markets in procuring planetary science artifacts.
  • Scientists caution that private ownership may restrict public display and research of this unparalleled geological and cosmochemical resource.