Estherville is a rare stony-iron meteorite which is a mixture of nickel-iron and silicates, mostly comprised of olivine and pyroxene. It’s the surface of a heavily bombarded asteroid. This specimen is cut from the main mass in London. It has a highly desired provenance from one of the world’s greatest meteorite collections.

The Estherville meteorite is one is the largest meteorite falls in USA history. Late in the afternoon of May 10, 1879, a massive fireball was observed all over the Midwest. Thousands of meteorite fragments rained down on farmland outside Estherville, Iowa. People came from surrounding areas to search for meteorite pieces. The main mass (largest piece recovered) weighed 431 lbs (195 kg). It was subject to a lawsuit between finders and landowner. The mass ended up in the British Museum of Natural History.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.
275 mm x 150 mm x 5 mm (10³⁄₄ x 6 x ¹⁄₄ in.)
1,050g.

Cut from British Museum of Natural History specimen number BM 53764 with copy of label

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