This complete brecciated lunar sphere is composed of different fragments of rocks and minerals, including signature anorthite—in which two large anorthite clasts dominate—all naturally cemented by what was an impact melt of lunar regolith and other crushed rock. The curved face of this sphere reveals a number of inclusions, the result of the ongoing bombardment to which the Moon’s surface was exposed prior to the collision responsible for launching this specimen to Earth. Modern fashioning.

The official classification of the material from which this sphere was hewn was performed by Dr. Anthony Irving, the world’s foremost classifier of lunar and Martian meteorites.
33 mm. (1.25 in.) diameter.

53.9 g.

Despite being our next-door neighbor, the Moon is among the rarest substances on Earth. Now offered is a complete sphere fashioned from a Moon rock which was ejected off the lunar surface following an asteroid impact. Moon rocks are identified by specific textural, mineralogical, chemical and isotopic signatures. Many of the common minerals found on Earth’s surface are rare on the Moon and some lunar minerals are unknown on Earth. In addition, Moon rocks contain gases captured from the solar wind with isotope ratios very different from the same gases found on Earth. In the last two years a massive lunar strewn field straddling the Mauritanian and Algerian borders was discovered. Nearly 250 kg of lunar meteorites were recovered—nearly doubling the mass of all lunar meteorites then known. An extraordinary bounty, this created the opportunity to fashion a limited number of lunar spheres of this particular lunar meteorite, NWA 12691 (provisional). All lunar meteorites can be contained in just four large footlockers, and a significant fraction are controlled by governmental institutions. Not one milligram of Apollo material is available for private ownership. Very few lunar spheres will ever exist. Such conservatorship is necessary as the sphere-making process initially requires samples than are far greater than the size of the sphere that results. The trimming, grinding and polishing regimens result in material loss, and it’s only due to the relative luxury of there being so much of NWA 12691 (provisional) that the possibility of creating lunar spheres exists. Now offered is an exceedingly limited and captivating presentation of the Moon.

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.