Three pieces of the moon will soon be on sale — but it will cost you.
The little lunar samples will be up for auction by Sotheby’s on Nov. 29 as part of a collection dedicated to space exploration, Atlas Obscura reported.
Ever want a chance to purchase a piece of the moon? Now you can. Three little lunar samples will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s on November 29, in an auction dedicated to space exploration. https://t.co/llXvnvaF4E
— Atlas Obscura (@atlasobscura) October 31, 2018
It is the second time the rocks will change hands after initially belonging to Nina Ivanova Koroleva, the widow of Sergei Korolev, former director of the Soviet space program, who sold them in 1993. An American collector snatched them up for $442,500 at the time, but Sotheby’s expects the moon shards to go for anywhere between $700,000 and $1 million at their second showing.
The rocks traveled 238,900 miles after being dug up from 13 inches below the face of the Mare Fecunditatis section of the moon in 1970, according to the news site. They were brought back to Earth by a Soviet craft dubbed Luna-16.
The lucky auction winner will walk away with the samples nestled in a glass-faced, metal box fitted with a magnifying glass for better viewing. The rocks themselves are about two square millimeters in size.
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