‘It belongs to Niger’: US$5.3 million Mars meteorite hit by provenance row
Sotheby’s insists the rock was exported legally but Niger, where the meteorite was found, is investigating the sale
The recent auction of a Martian meteorite – for a record-grabbing US$5.3 million at Sotheby’s New York – has sparked questions over its provenance and renewed debate over who gets to claim rocks fallen from the heavens.
The hefty 25kg (55lbs) stone is the largest Martian meteorite ever discovered on Earth, according to its Sotheby’s listing, and was found in November 2023 in the vast Saharan Desert in Niger.
The government of Niger has announced that it will open an investigation following the auction, saying it appears to “have all the characteristics of illicit international trafficking”.
Last Friday, the government suspended exports of precious stones and meteorites until further notice.
Sotheby’s has rejected the accusations, insisting that the meteorite “was exported from Niger and transported in line with all relevant international procedure”.
In light of the controversy, however, a review of the case is under way, a Sotheby’s spokesperson said.