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During the past decade, meteorite collecting has grown considerably in popularity and several natural history auctions featuring meteorites take place each year. Some offer meteorites only, while others feature a variety of natural history collectibles. Every year, enthusiasts gather to bid on space rocks in Tucson, AZ, and Denver, CO. These events are organized by the meteorite collecting community and are attended by knowledgeable buyers and collectors. The Tucson and Denver auctions take place during gem and mineral shows and often provide real bargains for the savvy bidder. Prominent auction houses in New York, London, and California also present a few auctions each year which include some meteorite specimens. Many of the lots offered at these upmarket events are large, expensive pieces aimed at wealthy individuals who are not a regular part of the meteorite collecting community, and the prices realized are often far higher than typical retail values. The auction houses spend tens of thousands of dollars on advertising and promotion in the hope of attracting millionaire bidders who will pay top dollar for an outer space collectible.

Before spending large sums at a fancy auction, do some research, and compare prices by looking at some of the commercial websites which offer meteorites for sale. Remember that the big auction houses add a buyers' premium to all lots (typically 15%), and successful bidders are required to pay that additional fee on top of the final hammer price. That sometimes leads to an unpleasant surprise when it's time to settle up.

[pictured above] A prospective bidder examines meteorite lots

BONHAMS AND BUTTERFIELDS METEORITE AUCTION
New York City, October 2007
The controversy surrounding the Willamette meteorite auction
Bonhams is a major auction house, with branches in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Hong Kong. In October of 2007 Bonhams hosted a large auction of meteorites, including Steve Arnold's world record Brenham pallasite, which weighs 1,430 pounds, along with a slice from the famous Willamette iron. Some media outlets have incorrectly described the upcoming event as "the world's first meteorite auction." Many meteorite auctions have taken place in the past; this is the first all-meteorite auction to be staged by a major auction house. An attractive print catalog is published to accompany the auction, and can be ordered from Bonhams for a fee.

The main mass of the Willamette iron weighs over fifteen tons and is the ninth largest meteorite ever found on earth, and the largest found in the United States. It belongs to the American Museum of Natural History and is displayed at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City. The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde have publicly stated that the Willamette iron is a sacred object. At one time they attempted, through legal means, to have the giant meteorite repatriated to their tribal lands in Oregon. The Willamette was purchased in 1905 and donated to the AMNH. During the 1990s a substantial piece was removed from the mass and traded to a private meteorite collector in New York City. That piece is now being offered for sale by Bonhams, and a Washington Post article stated that the Clackamas tribe of Oregon were "deeply saddened that any individual or organization [would] traffic in the sale of a sacred and historic artifact."

Less controversial was the offering of professional meteorite hunter Steve Arnold's "World Record Pallasite," which he discovered on a Kansas farm in the fall of 2005. Steve is a long-time friend and hunting partner of Aerolite Meteorites owner Geoffrey Notkin. Together, Steve and Geoff co-own Meteorite Adventures.

Bonhams and Butterfields typically hold two or three natural history auctions each year, which usually feature a number of meteorite lots.

[pictured above] The World Record Pallasite on display, Tucson 2006