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Large, Heavy 5 Pounds Meteorite Sphere

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:800.00 USD Estimated At:1,600.00 - 2,250.00 USD
Large, Heavy 5 Pounds Meteorite Sphere
<Our item number 111431><B>Large, Heavy 5 Pounds Meteorite Sphere.</B> Large etched iron-nickle meteorite spheres are highly sought after by both meteorite collectors and also collectors of mineral spheres. This 3&#34;diameter 5 pound Campo del Cielo sphere has a lovely widmanstatten pattern from the etching, as well as darker areas of graphite and troilite inclusions as found in this meteorite. The intersting-looking widmanstatten pattern results from two different alloys of nickle which have separated from each other by the asteroid core where this meteorite originated from cooling very slowly over several million years. Campo del Cielo meteorites fell 3,000-5,000 years ago in Chaco, Argentina. They are extremely difficult to cut beacuse of the many silicate and graphite inclusions which break the cutting lathes; large spheres are rare because more than 75% of the original meteorite is lost in the cutting process. The meteorite from which this sphere was produced weighed more than 20 pounds before it was cu t.<BR><BR>Add &#36;25 for domestic shipping. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;1,600-2,250. <BR><BR>Our item number 111431<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://64.60.141.195/photos/40jpegs/111431.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>