A DRONINO METEORITE WITH CUT EDGE, IRON, ATAXITE (UNGROUPED) RYAZAN DISTRICT, RUSSIA (54° 44' N, 41° 25' E)

A DRONINO METEORITE WITH CUT EDGE
Iron, ataxite (ungrouped)
Ryazan district, Russia (54° 44' N, 41° 25' E)
Idiosyncratic to Dronino, a most unusual, highly textured platinum-hued surface wraps the majority of this attenuated slab’s perimeter. A cut edge is encased by the custom pedestal accompanying this lot. In the polished surface of the meteorite, Dronino’s signature beads of sulfide are richly evident. This is a decorative example of a most atypical meteorite. Modern cutting.

147 x 31 x 38mm. (5¾ x 1¼ x 1½in.)
1.1kg.

Please note that this lot is the property of a private collector.

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Lot Essay

A DRONINO METEORITE SCEPTOR IN CUSTOM PEDESTAL

First discovered by a mushroom hunter in 2000, specimens of the Dronino meteorite shower belong to the rare “ungrouped” population of iron meteorites. While Dronino was found 20 kilometers from an ancient town founded in 1152, nothing was ever written about what would have been the rather memorable event of a fireball, sonic booms and a massive impact. As such, it’s likely Dronino‘s arrival occurred when the area was unpopulated. Given the high degree of terrestrial weathering (which is responsible for the meteorite’s unusual exterior surface texture), a descent to Earth more than a millennium ago can be confidently inferred. While 89% of iron meteorites are members of established chemical groups, the other 11% are chemically unrelated to other specimens and originate from unknown, asteroids. Dronino is the offspring of one such mysterious body.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue note.