Tag Archives: heritage auctions

37-Pound Lunar Meteorite, One of the Largest to Come to Auction, Touches Down at Heritage Auctions

A monstrous, 37-pound Lunar Meteorite (NWA 15368 Lunar Meteorite) discovered in Mali by camel shepherds in 2021 (with a minimum opening bid of $600,000), and a rare, 20-foot long mummified dinosaur tail and vertebrae fossil (minimum bid $50,000) headline the March 31 Heritage Auctions’ Nature & Science Signature ® Auction. “There is nothing that captures people’s fascination quite like the moon does,” says Craig Kissick, Vice President of Nature & Science at Heritage Auctions.

Lunar Meteorite: Once in a great while, an offering will become manifest that is so singular and superlative in its nature that it really has no peer. This unbelievable MAIN MASS lunar meteorite is just such an item. A truly massive specimen weighing 17 kilograms (37.4 pounds), this example of recently classified lunar fragmental breccia representing NWA 15368 is even beyond the term museum-quality. Found in 2021 by camel shepherds in the Northern Saharan Zone of Mali, this fall consisted of a single stone with dark exterior coloration and one side partially covered in caliche. Cutting a test sample from the meteorite revealed fragmental breccia composition, with multiple lithic clasts in a glassy, dark gray ground mass. Evidencing high shock stage and moderate weathering, the origin of the amazing rock is the Highlands area of the Moon. Impact melt textures are present on the enormous extraterrestrial rock transported to Earth from its only natural satellite. To commemorate the Artemis program, this meteorite was dubbed “Artemis 17” prior to the official classification as NWA 15368. Standing 11 inches (28 cm) tall, when set on the flat ‘window’ serving as a base, this stone is relatively colossal and as significant in its dimensionality as it is in height. One of the largest examples of a lunar meteorite likely to be seen – and certainly to be offered for auction – this world-class specimen of the NWA 15368 variety is simply unparalleled. A vial with 3 grams of NWA 15368 dust accompanies this Lot. The highly textural surfaces of this giant meteorite exhibit mottled coloration, shallow planetary crater indentations, and a contrast of light and dark between the primary and secondary display face. In fact, two relatively deep holes give the effect of a pair of “eyes” on the face of the huge space rock. The big, polished section reveals a fine-grained interior with lots of clasts and a two-tone gray and brown color. An otherwise smooth surface features a small channel groove such that its bottom is not perfectly flat. The complexity, texture, and color of the exterior result in a sublime offering that needs to be seen in person in order to fully appreciate. This simply represents one massive and superb piece of the Moon. This Lot comes with a Certificate of Authenticity confirming this rock is the MAIN MASS of NWA 15368.
Measurements: 11.02 x 9.84 x 7.09 inches (28.00 x 25.00 x 18.00 cm), weighs 16.97 kilograms (37.42 pounds)

Dinosaur Fossil: There is no shortage of superlatives to describe this fossil specimen, which is truly remarkable for any number of reasons. While this massive vertebral and tail section from a Hadrosaur is incredibly long, measuring over 20 feet (6 meters), it is the presence of huge sections of extremely rare fossilized skin and tendons that make this such an incomparable specimen. Dating back to the Late Cretaceous, and having come out of the renowned Hell Creek Formation in Harding County, South Dakota, informally known as the “T-rex Capital of the World,” this fully articulated, partial specimen is superb. This level and extent of “mummified” preservation is virtually unheard of in such vertebrate fossils. Although a likely identification of this Dinosaur is Edmontosaurus, it is conjectured that this represents not only a new species but even, potentially, a new genus of Hadrosaur. In addition to these amazing facts about this singular fossil, the remains indicate possible scars or bite marks that could indicate the tail section was used in a defensive manner and could have been bitten by a T-rex in battle. Recovery, after the discovery in 1999 of the fossil on private lands in the Jump-Off Ranch, this specimen was expertly prepared and curated, with the representation most recently having been on display at the Brazos County Museum of Natural History in Bryan, Texas. This is likely one of the largest amounts of fossilized Dinosaur skin ever recovered and, of course, may indeed be a yet unknown variety. This is without question a museum quality offering on all counts with a size, aesthetics, and rarity worthy of any Natural History institution. The specimen consists of segments of fused light brown bone which is presented on a custom base of black metal armatures that hold various parts of the Dinosaur fossil. Breakdown and installation are all easy, and the piece, when displayed in its mounting, is captivating and constantly draws major attention.
Overall Measurements: 250.50 x 55.25 x 19.00 inches (636.27 x 140.33 x 48.26 cm)

Heritage Auctions Proudly Presents the Greatest Muhammad Ali Collection Ever to Step in the Ring

Troy Kinunen didn’t set out to assemble one of the world’s greatest Muhammad Ali collections; far from it. He was once solely a baseball fan, a former Little Leaguer who idolized Ruth, Mantle, Cobb, Gehrig. He coveted their keepsakes, their cards and signatures. But even decades ago, their treasures were out of reach, too expensive for a young man beginning his journey as a collector.

When Kinunen attended a New York sports memorabilia convention in 1988 and bought his first Ali piece – a poster from his Nov. 14, 1966, fight with Cleveland Williams at Houston’s Astrodome – he picked it up only because it was one of the few items he could afford.

“It was colorful, it was cardboard, it was kind of small, and I thought I could display it,” says Kinunen, president and CEO of MEARS Authentications. “And a kind of light bulb went on at that very moment.”

He would spend the next three decades amassing more than 1,600 items tied to the legend of Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali. Things Ali wore and signed during (and often after) his most memorable, immortal and infamous fights –robes, gloves, trunks, even mouthpieces (including the one from The Rumble in the Jungle!) over which he uttered those infinitely quoted taunts and jeers. Every single poster, save for one, displayed in the venues in which those 61 bouts took place. Every ticket and every pass to every bout. And every photo he could find, among them some of the earliest taken of the kid from Kentucky named Cassius.

Here, too, are the seemingly impossible to obtain keepsakes Ali accrued during his sojourn from Golden Gloves great to The Greatest, among them the elaborately embroidered prayer cap gifted to him before 1975’s Thrilla in Manila and the red robe worn before his first fight with Joe Frazier in 1971.

Kinunen’s entire Ali collection is now available to the public for the first time, as this historic assemblage serves as the centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ July 21-23 Summer Sports Catalog Auction.

“Quite simply, it is the most comprehensive Muhammad Ali collection ever to come to auction,” says Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage. “What Troy has done here is tell Ali’s life story with treasures that were present for every bout and every brag and every historic highlight in between. It’s one of the most extraordinary collections we have ever been honored to offer.”

Kinunen will be the first to admit: When he bought that first poster, he knew little about Ali outside of his appearance in ABC’s Wide World of Sports opening sequence and what he’d read in grade-school primers. But in time that flicker grew into an all-consuming flame, beginning with Kinunen’s run-ins with Ali at conventions, where he saw The Champ, slowed by age and Parkinson’s, still interact with fans just as he had decades earlier – posing for photos, sparring and shuffling with the wide-eyed and the awestruck, teasing and taunting everyone like they were Howard Cosell with a mic.

“The lightning bolt hit me, and I was fully dedicated to collecting him,” Kinunen says. “I had never seen anything like that. It was so inspirational, so special, to witness it.”

Soon after Kinunen began taking out classified ads in Louisville, Ken., seeking keepsakes Ali might have given to hometown folks who knew the young Cassius Clay. The result was a goldmine of treasures offered by old friends and acquaintances to whom Ali had given the robe off his back or the gloves off his hands.