Overview

• NWA 16788 sold for $5.296 million at Sotheby’s New York Geek Week auction on July 17, setting a world record for a Martian meteorite.
• Weighing 24.67 kilograms, it is the largest known fragment from Mars on Earth, about 70 percent larger than the next biggest specimen.
• Discovered in November 2023 by an anonymous hunter in Niger’s Agadez region, it underwent studies at the University of Florence and was displayed at the Italian Space Agency in 2024.
• Sotheby’s analysis confirmed minimal terrestrial alteration, preserving the meteorite’s original physical and chemical composition.
• As one of roughly 400 Martian meteorites among more than 77,000 recognized worldwide, the sale underscores the growing intersection of planetary science and the collectors’ market.