In November 2023, a meteorite hunter discovered NWA 16788 in the Agadez area of northern Niger.
It weighs more than 24.6 kilograms (54 pounds) and is the biggest Martian rock ever recovered on Earth, according to Sotheby’s.
Experts estimate it traveled 140 million miles from Mars’ surface, likely dislodged by an ancient asteroid impact, before landing in the Sahara sands.
The auction started at $1.9 million and quickly jumped to $4.3 million, with premiums and fees bringing the total to $5.3 million.
However, Sotheby’s has not revealed the identity of either the buyer or the seller, heightening speculation over how such an important alien item departed its nation of origin.
The auction took place during the auction house’s “Geek Week,” which features goods related to natural history, science, and space.
A private gallery in Tuscany, Italy, and the Italian Space Agency had both previously exhibited the rock.
Conversation on meteorites in Africa
The specimen’s provenance remains a matter of debate, however, as reported by Forbes.
“The NWA 16788 meteorite was shipped and transported in line with the standard procedure of all meteorites that come out of Niger.
As with everything we sell, all relevant documentation was in order at each stage of its journey,” Sotheby’s tells Forbes Africa.
According to Giovanni Pratesi, a professor at the University of Florence in Italy and one of the authors of two of the three papers referenced in the Sotheby’s catalogue, he was “only involved in the characterization and study of this specimen (NWA 16788), without having received, for a while, any information about provenance.”
“In fact, the place of recovery of the meteorites is not so important for science because their real provenance, of course, is not the Earth but other bodies of the Solar System,” Pratesi says.
“Anyway, there is no doubt that the Sahara represents a very important reservoir of extraterrestrial material.
“A confirmation of this is given by the high number of meteorite specimens bearing the name NWA (North West Africa) that is used when the exact place of recovery is not known.
In this respect, I believe that African countries should organize a network to recover and valorize these meteorites.”
The sale has reignited concerns about the unregulated trade of meteorites, particularly those discovered in developing countries.
Nigerien officials and international cultural watchdogs are now questioning the legality and ethics of the meteorite’s export, with many demanding its immediate return.
“It was discovered in Niger? How come it ended up being sold in New York?” says Alia Baré, a fashion designer and daughter of former Nigerien president Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, to Forbes Africa.
“It is a crucial matter of sovereignty… This is a national treasure that shouldn’t have been sold. Things have to change,” she added.
Social media users expressed concerns about the meteorite’s correct declaration to Nigerien authorities and the lack of action to prevent its sale.
