With investment terms like “to the Moon” and “meteoric rise” often used to describe the burgeoning world of NFT’s, meteorite broker Rob Wesel is putting it to the test. He’s offering a rock from the Moon! While Apollo Moon samples are illegal to own; lunar meteorites are absolutely legal making this a rare chance to own a rock from the Moon with the custody chain and authenticity written forever in the blockchain as an NFT. The Lunar meteorite and the NFT are offered as a package.
“For the last 25 years, I have been chasing meteorites and getting them into hands of museums, institutions, and collectors.” says Wesel. “While there are many varieties, the most coveted are those directly connected to the Moon; they can far exceed the price of gold.”
Wesel works with a group of trusted locals in areas where meteorites are known to be found. The nomadic Berber trade lines throughout Northwest Africa are such places. “These guys have walked the same paths of empty sand for generations. When they see a rock it stands out as unusual and they’ll show it to me.”
Such is the case for a small group of meteorites named Northwest Africa (“NWA”) 8687. It was a remarkable find in 2014; an actual rock that had been blown off the Moon. It was formed deep within the Moon where it once erupted from a volcano. Then, somewhere in the Moon’s 4.5 billion year history, a giant asteroid collided with such devastating force that rock was ejected into the vacuum of space, and set on a course towards the sun. Until Earth got in the way. The age of NWA 8687 isn’t known. It’s ancient; and was likely covered in sand until winds shifted the dunes revealing it. If any humans were alive to see it, it would have been quite the show – traveling at around 100,000 mph in a ball of flame accompanied by sonic booms as it decelerated.
The scientific analysis on NWA 8687 can be seen in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
The auction ends January 27th and can be seen on OpenSea.
