Meteorites, fossils... 7 exceptional objects put on sale by Sotheby's!

Tempo di lettura 14 min

• An intact egg of an elephant bird
• Seymchan Meteorite - massive meteorite with a naturally formed hole
• The complete tooth of a Tyrannosaurus rex, with its root
• The egg of the extinct great auk
• A mesmerizing large iridescent ammonite
• A giant slice of a petrified golden redwood
• A knotted petrified wood log

Introduction

Sotheby's Natural History auction features a carefully selected range of fossils, minerals, and meteorites among other natural wonders. The event took place last week, from 23 November to 3 December 2021, and we followed it closely. This first sale of the winter for Sotheby's includes items that bring together the spheres of art and science, with items that will appeal to both seasoned and casual collectors. Archaeology, history, and dinosaur lovers, we present 7 items that stood out during the auction!

Highlights of the sale include an exceptionally rare extinct Great Penguin egg, one of only 75 documented, and the first time in over a century that an egg has been auctioned; a large rainbow iridescent ammonite with superb mineralization; a complete tooth of a Tyrannosaurus rex, with its root intact; a magnificent giant slice of petrified Golden Sequoia; a spectacular and large Seymchan meteorite with a natural hole, a double crystal of Tanzanite and far more... 

Let's move on and get to know more about these 7 prestigious collectibles.

We present them to you in order of increasing price, from the least expensive to the most expensive. 

1- An intact egg of an elephant bird

Estimation: 40,000 - 60,000 USD

Price sold: 37,800 USD

Description:

• A completely intact egg of an elephant bird
• Aepyornis Maximus
• Before the 17th century
• origin: Madagascar
• 12 by 9 inches (30.5 x 22.9 cm). 10⅓ inches (26.3 cm) in diameter.
• This Aepyornis Maximus egg displays a sandy, off-white color palette with no breaks, cracks, holes, or restoration.

At an impressive 544 kg, the Aepyornis is one of the largest birds of all time. Commonly referred to as 'elephant birds', these ratites - a class of long-legged, flightless birds that includes emus, ostriches, and cassowaries - were endemic to Madagascar until their extinction around 1,000 years ago. At 150 times the size of a chicken, the Aepyornis boasts the largest eggs of any animal. Used by generations of Malagasy as both a food source and a means of transporting water, very few of these eggs remain. Only a tiny fraction of those that remain are fully intact, the overwhelming majority being restored from reconstituted fragments. Most of them also have a perforation, a hole made either organically by a chick trying to get out of the egg, or by a person trying to gently empty the contents of the egg.

Intact, unnotched specimens like this are rare on the market!

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/a-completely-intact-egg-of-an-elephant-bird

2- An intact egg of an elephant bird

Estimation: 80,000  - 140,000 USD

Price sold: 50,400 USD

Description:

• Massive Seymchan meteorite with a naturally formed hole
• Pallasite - PMG 
• Magadan District, Siberia, Russia (62°54' N, 152°26' E)
• 363 x 266 x 216mm (14.33 x 10.5 x 8.5 in.) and 48.18 kilograms (106.5 lbs.)

This object is lot 102 of the "Natural History" sale and is comparable to but much larger than lot 90! The Seymchan meteorites come from the core-mantle boundary of an asteroid that broke up early within the history of the system. As a result of pinball-like impacts in space, an outsized mass was fortuitously thrown into an orbit across the planet. Thousands of years ago, the Seymchan meteorite specimens were first discovered in 1967 near the village of Seymchan within the Magadan district (Russia) where Stalin's Gulags were located. This massive meteorite specimen, if cut (which should never happen), would reveal the identical Widmanstätten pattern as that of Lots 90, 103, and 111. To see the rest of the catalog and compare lots, you can click here. The surface is softened over time by exposure to the earth's elements over the seasons creating a graphite patina with charcoal accents. With its custom frame and pedestal, this collectible looks like a singular alien sculpture from outer space. This specimen also exhibits a naturally formed hole in its crown which is extremely rare in iron meteorites.

Origin :

Viacheslav Kalachev's collection, Moscow, Russia.

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/seymchan-meteorite-massive-meteorite-with

3- The complete tooth of a Tyrannosaurus rex, with its root

Estimation: 90,000 - 100,000 USD

Price sold: 100,800 USD

Description:

• The complete tooth of a T. rex, with its root
• Tyrannosaurus rex
• Late Cretaceous (about 67 million years ago)
• Weston County, Wyoming, USA
• 7¼ inches (18.5 cm) long. 8¾ high on a custom stand.
• This complete tooth of T. rex exhibits a crown, tip, and enamel in excellent condition with no restoration. Well-preserved serrations run along both lateral edges.

No animal inspires more fascination, fear, and reverence than the 'king of lizards', Tyrannosaurus rex.

Dominating the western landscape of North America in the late Cretaceous period, T. rex's 1.5 m long skull was filled with 60 teeth and possessed a bite force of nearly 5,900 kg per square inch, the most powerful of any land animal. Compared to other carnivorous theropods, the teeth of T. rex are proportionately huge. Strong, thick enamel crowns reinforced dozens of teeth with serrations on two different edges, like double-sided steak knives. The unrivaled power of this 12.2 m long, 7,260 kg supreme predator enabled it to hunt virtually all the large dinosaurs in its environment, including Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Ornithomimus, Pachycephalosaurus, Edmontosaurus, and even other tyrannosaurs.

Complete teeth of T. rex with root, crown, and tip are extremely rare. The massive root structure of these teeth is a stark and immediate reminder of the crushing strength of the largest land carnivore of all time.

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/the-full-tooth-of-a-tyrannosaurus-rex-complete

4- The egg of the missing great auk 

Estimation: 150,000 - 180,000 USD

Price sold: reserve not reached

Description :

• An egg of the extinct great auk
• Pinguinus impennis (alca impennis, Linn.)
• Quaternary (about 200 years ago)
• Iceland
• 12.5 cm high, 8 cm in diameter
• Housed in a custom Plexiglas display case (6¼ by 3¾ by 4¼ inches; 16 x 9.5 x 10.75 cm)

AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY - ONE OF ONLY 75 GREAT AUK EGGS KNOWN TO STILL EXIST - THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A CENTURY THAT AN EGG HAS BEEN AUCTIONED, THE LAST RECORDED SALE HAVING TAKEN PLACE IN LONDON IN 1910.

The great auk was a flightless water bird, standing about 2½ feet tall and weighing an average of 11 pounds. With a black body and white belly, its appearance was somewhere between that of a puffin and a penguin. When hunting, the Great Auk uses a hooked beak and a powerful swim to track down fish and shellfish. Native to the cold waters of the North Atlantic, its breeding range extended from the coasts of Newfoundland, Maine, Massachusetts, and even South Carolina and Florida, to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the east coast of Greenland, and the islands off Scotland, namely Orkney and St Kilda; during the winter months it was known to go as far west as Norway and Denmark, and skeletal remains have been found as far south as Gibraltar.

THE GREAT PENGUIN, PAINTED BY THE DUTCH ARTIST JOHN GERRARD KEULEMANS (1842-1912). (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

Pairs of Great Auks mated for life, laying only one egg per breeding season on small islands and rocky coasts. The longitudinal, pear-shaped eggs were perfectly adapted to roll in tight circles, greatly reducing the chance of getting lost on a cliff edge. The parents took turns incubating the egg while enjoying the protection of dense social colonies and a few natural predators.

Historical records indicate that the great auk had no innate fear of humans, which, combined with its slow and clumsy movements on land, greatly increased its vulnerability to extinction when Europeans began to massively exploit the species for food, for its fluffy feathers and, horribly, for starting fires, as it's very fat feathers were highly flammable.

The last bird to be seen in the British Isles was captured by a group of fishermen who took it back with them on their boat. When a great storm threatened to capsize the ship four days after taking the bird on board, the superstitious fisherman decided that the poor bird was "a witch who conjures the maelstrom" and stoned it to death. Four years later, on 3 June 1844, the last known breeding pair of great auks were killed off the coast of Iceland, on the island of Eldey, after being captured again by a fisherman. The pair's single incubating egg was crushed under a fisherman's boots, wiping out the species for good and forever consigning this once prolific species to the ranks of its extinct avian peers, including the Dodo, the Elephant Bird (see previous lot 15), and the Passenger Pigeon.

WOOD ENGRAVING OF THE GREAT AUK FROM THOMAS BEWICK IN A HISTORY OF BRITISH BIRDS, VOLUME 2, WATER BIRDS, 1804. (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

This incredibly rare specimen may be a poignant reminder of humanity's responsibility for conservation and environmental management. 

 Because of their tragic history, auk eggs are extremely rare, and even more so in camera hands. because of the efforts of early avid ornithologists, particularly Symington Grieve, Edward Bidwell, Paule Marie Louise & John Whitaker Tomkinson, Ch. F. Dubois, and Léon Olpho-Galliard, surviving specimens of skins and eggs, including this example, are well documented within the literature. 

The present specimen was first documented and described in 1862, in a letter written by Olpho-Galliard on 15 April to the editor of the ornithological journal Ibis, and subsequently published in that journal: (in part from French): " It is not without regret that we now consider the very probable extinction of the Alca impennis. It is interesting to investigate how these eggs changed hands and to note the museums and private collections in which some examples of their skins or eggs may be found... I recently received from Mr. Demeezemaker [alternatively spelled Méesemaecker], an ornithologist in Bergues [and the 4th owner of the present specimen], two photographs of two Alca impennis eggs from his collection. One measures 12.5 centimeters, with a diameter of 8 centimeters [the present specimen]. The second measures only 11.5 centimeters, with a diameter of 8 centimeters. "

It made its second appearance in the literature when Ch. F. Dubois, published his "Note sur le Plautus Impennis, Brünnich," in the Archives Cosmologiques. Revue des Sciences Naturelles, in which he gives a description of the egg, and includes drawings he made from photographs sent to him by M. de Meezemaker, noting that: "I am very happy to be able to give you a drawing of two eggs of this species, thanks to M. de Meezemaker l'aîné, of Bergues-lez-Dunkerque. This ardent ornithologist was kind enough to send me photographs of the two eggs in his possession...".

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/an-egg-of-the-extinct-great-auk

5- A mesmerizing large iridescent ammonite

Estimation: 120 000 - 180 000 USD

Price sold: 201,600 USD

Description :

• A large iridescent ammonite
• Placenticeras meeki
• Late Cretaceous (about 73 million years ago)
• Bearpaw Formation, Canada21 inches (53.3 cm).
• 29 inches high on a custom bronze rotating stand. 8.5 kg (18.7 lbs).
• This exceptional specimen has superb ammolite mineralization on both sides, one with shimmering, iridescent reds, golds, and greens, the other with a rainbow of blues, greens, yellows, purples, deep browns, and fawns. The colors change in hue and intensity as they diffract the light from different angles.

Placenticeras (aka "flat horn") were fast-swimming carnivorous cephalopods, a taxonomic class that features octopuses, nautiluses, and modern squid. These ammonites used gas and fluid-filled chambers to manage their position within the water. They lived only within the outermost compartment, using their tubular siphon to attach its chambers along the ventral surface of their shell.

While dinosaurs ruled the land within the Late Cretaceous, the ammonite Placenticeras thrived within the world's oceans. However, the overwhelming majority of this species made its range in the Western Interior Seaway, an ocean that bisected North America from the Arctic Circle to what's now the Gulf of Mexico. Under ideal preservation conditions, a recently deceased ammonite would have sunk to the underside of this sea and been covered by sediment. Over time, its muddy grave eventually was shale, and it's these ancient shale deposits of the Canadian Rockies that produce the world's largest (and only) deposits of gem-quality ammolite. 

Along with amber and pearl, ammolite is one of the few biogenic substances in the world. Similar to inorganic opal, it is found exclusively in the shells of ammonites that have undergone the fossilization process known as permineralization.

The quality of a gemstone ammolite is set by a variety of things, the primary and most evident being the number of primary colors: reds and greens are fairly common, while blues and purples occur far more rarely. The amplitude of the color shift of the ammolite is additionally important. It’s determined by the way its colors change in hue and intensity once they diffract light at different angles. Finally, the extent of an ammolite's iridescence also has an impression on its quality and value, with the best specimens displaying broad, unbroken bands of brilliant rainbow-like color. Following these criteria, we can easily say this ammolite specimen ranks exceptionally well.

A stunning example from Canada's world-renowned Bearpaw Formation, the Placenticeras meeki offered here is a literally shimmering example of one of the most beautiful ammolite fossils ever made available.

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/a-large-iridescent-ammonite

6- A giant slice of a petrified golden redwood

Estimation: 200,000 - 300,000 USD

Price sold: reserve not reached

Description : 

• A giant slice of a petrified golden sequoia
• Sequoia affinis
• Eocene (about 38 million years ago)
• Madras Ranch, Clarno Formation, Oregon, USA
• 92 by 67 inches (233.7 cm x 170.2 cm). 83½ inches tall on a custom stand with a footprint of 36 by 30¼ inches. 950 pounds (431 kg).
• This section of an extinct Sequoia affinis has been cut and polished to a mirror finish, showing a range of colors from golds to ambers, tans, and a smoky off-white. Its annual growth rings are clearly visible, testifying to the life of the tree before its death and burial in volcanic ash. It is impervious to staining and harder than granite or marble. Even the sharpest knife cannot damage its surface. It is fixed on a 5 cm (2 inch) stand to ensure stability and ease of assembly.

A true rarity. This petrified Sequoia affinis from which this large slice was cut was buried in volcanic ash 38 million years ago, long before it was found in 2006 in the Clarno Formation in central Oregon.

Petrified wood is the name given to a particular type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. Over thousands of years, inorganic materials in the groundwater surrounding this buried conifer have seeped in and replaced organic minerals in a process known as permineralization. During this process of petrification, the lignin and cellulose of the plant decompose, while the inorganic materials essentially use the organic structure of the tree as scaffolding to build an exact rock copy of the specimen.

Currently, only one species of redwood remains, found exclusively in the coastal forests of northern California and southwestern Oregon. They are the largest trees in the world, with diameters of up to 9 meters and heights of over 76 meters. They are also the heaviest: their biomass is equivalent to that of about ten blue whales, the largest animals that have ever existed.

Originating in the mid-Jurassic period, redwoods survived the extinction of the dinosaurs, but they may not be able to survive the challenges of today's climate change. Just last month, firefighters at Sequoia National Park wrapped the base of the trees in aluminum blankets to protect them from the ravages of the KNP complex fire. It remains to be seen whether these endangered redwoods can continue to stand the test of time. The incredible specimen on display here is a moving reminder of the history, beauty, and fragility of life on planet Earth.

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/a-large-slice-of-a-petrified-golden-sequoia

7- A knotted petrified wood log

Estimation : 200,000 - 300,000 USD

Price sold: reserve not reached

Description :

• Petrified wood knot log
• Araucarioxylon arizonicum
• Permian (about 280 million years old)
• Fitzgerald Ranch, Arizona, USA
• 213.4 x 147.3 cm (84 x 58 inches). 78½ inches high on a custom stand with a 40 by 30¼ inch footprint. 1,200 pounds (544.3 kg).
• This Araucarioxylon arizonicum fossil has a fine color composition, with bright, glowing hues of tan, deep red-orange, gunmetal grey, and amber. It is impervious to stains and harder than granite or marble, and even the sharpest knife cannot damage its surface.
• Mounted on a 5 cm (2 inches) stand for stability and ease of assembly.

An exceptional specimen. This gnarled log, from a petrified Araucarioxylon arizonicum, was buried in volcanic ash 280 million years ago, long before it was found in 2006 in northern Arizona, just outside Petrified Forest National Park.

Petrified wood is the name given to a selected kind of fossilized remains of land vegetation. Over thousands of years, inorganic materials within the groundwater surrounding this buried conifer have seeped in and replaced organic minerals in a process referred to as permineralization. During this process of petrification, the plant's lignin and cellulose decompose, while inorganic materials (during this case, mainly quartz and iron oxides) essentially use the tree's physical structure as scaffolding to create an actual rock copy of the specimen. 

This extinct conifer species, Araucarioxylon arizonicum, is Arizona's state fossil. The rarity and appeal of this particular specimen are due to several factors. Its size is enormous, and the quality and fluidity of its color are astounding. It is no wonder that specimens found in this region are considered some of the finest and most sought after in the world, the gnarled log offered here being an outstanding example.

Link to item: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2/petrified-wood-knot-log

Conclusion

To find out more and explore all the objects that have been cataloged and put up for sale alongside the 7 objects we have presented, click on this link: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natural-history-2?locale=en.

What about you, do you have any real natural history-themed nuggets at home? Share your finds with the community in the comments below!

Author: Laetitia from CollecOnline