NWA 4734 — AUTHENTICATED LUNAR SPECIMEN — AN END PIECE OF AN IMPORTANT METEORITE FROM THE MOON
Lunar achondrite (monzogabbro)
Rissani, Morocco

This is a notable offering of a rare and particularly exotic lunar meteorite—that is to say, a piece of the Moon ejected from the lunar surface following an asteroid impact. The scientific journal of record, the Meteoritical Bulletin, acknowledges less than 100 pounds of lunar meteorites known to exist—a large portion of which is not available to the public. NWA 4734 is the 4734th meteorite classified by scientists following its recovery from the North West African (NWA) corridor of the Sahara Desert. Lunar specimens are identified by specific geological, mineralogical, chemical and radiation signatures.

NWA 4734 was purchased from nomads in Erfoud, Morocco by a Moroccan meteorite dealer. The pryoxene and plagioclase-rich khaki-colored matrix is unusually coarse-grained, traits that combine to result in this specimen possessing the exotic monzogabbro subclassification. Dark seams of impact melt are also featured along with a textured —burnt-sugar— fusion crust. Fascinatingly, there are two other lunar meteorites found in different localities—one of which is the LaPaz Icefield in Antarctica—which are petrographic and geochemical matches with NWA 4734. In effect, NWA 4734 is one of three meteorites that originated from precisely the same crater (and same impact event) on the Moon that individually found their way to Earth. With a Macovich Collection provenance and accompanied by a copy of the Meteoritical Bulletin describing NWA 4734, this is an outstanding example of a piece of the Moon.

46 x 29 x 27mm (1.75 x 1 x 1 inches) and 52.57 grams

$37,500