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I would like to buy a meteorite. How much do they cost?

Bill Logan, Scottsdale, Arizona

September 1999

This 1.4-pound (631-gram) space rock, related to asteroid Vesta, landed in Western Australia in 1960. R. Kempton (New England Meteoritical Services)

Gift shop prices tend to be high, but so do prices elsewhere. Cost also depends on the kind of meteorite. There are three basic types: stones, irons, and stoney irons. Stones consist of ordinary chondrites, which sell for between $3 and $10 per gram. Carbonaceous chondrites fetch about $8 per gram and up. The rare achondrites begin at $10 to $12 per gram for a Millbillillie (a portion of the asteroid Vesta) but can go up to $700 per gram for a Zagami (from Mars), $2,500 per gram for a DAG 476 (also from Mars), and $25,000 per gram for a DAG 400 (from the Moon).

Two types of people tend to buy meteorites: those who want to own a meteorite or two and collectors. If you are the first type, I would recommend one or more of the following:

a Gibeon or Canyon Diablo iron;
an ordinary chondrite, which sells for about $1.50 per gram;
a small slice of Allende, a CV3 carbonaceous chondrite, which runs about 7 to $10 per gram.

If you want an achondrite, purchase a Millbillillie. And if you get this far, you might want to have a Pallasite, preferably an Esquel.

If you buy from a dealer, be cautious. Dealers can be very pushy. A good place to go first is the Meteorite Exchange website at www.meteorite.com. — JIM PHILLIPS

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