Portion of Peekskill Meteorite for Sale

On Oct. 9, 1992, a fragment of the Peekskill meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp residence in Peekskill, NY and destroyed the family's 1980 Chevrolet Malibu.

A piece of that history is being auctioned Sunday by Heritage Auctions in what is being billed as the ‘largest meteorite auction ever.’

The event takes place 3:30 p.m. at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, located at 2 East 79th St. in New York City. A preview is scheduled today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A 253 gram chunk from the approximately 13 kilograms of rock that fell in Peekskill is being auctioned and is expected to fetch between $45,000 to $55,000.

Other notable items that are being auctioned include:

• A large fragment of the Tissint Martian meteorite that fell last year in Morocco—which perfectly fits and locks into the large 1099 gram fragment that is now a centerpiece at the Natural History Museum in London.  Said Dr. Caroline Smith of the Natural History Museum, "This is the most important meteorite shower in 100 years."  With an impressive Earthly provenance, the matching segment to a Natural History Museum jewel is estimated to sell for $230,000-260,000;

• Originally from the Western Australian Museum in Perth, the most massive slab of a meteorite ever available at auction.  Mundrabillia meteorites are breathtaking, and this stunning extraterrrestrial table top measures three feet across.  Estimate $120,000-140,000;

• Thirteen different meteorites with estimates between $450-1,500—several originating from the asteroid Vesta;

• The largest slice of the most famous meteorite in the world—the Willamette meteorite at the American Museum of Natural History—is estimated to sell for $85,000-110,000.  Acquiring a specimen of a centerpiece exhibit at a major museum is virtually unheard of, and to compliment the largest slice, the smallest slice is also being offered and is estimated to sell for $11,000 to $13,500.

• A portion of a meteorite which fell in 1492 and was later chained up in a church specifically so it couldn't fly back into the sky--with British Museum of Natural History provenance is estimated to sell for  $4,000 to $5,000.