How to Become a Meteorite Hunter & Make $5,000- $20,000 Per Rock (2024)

FAQs

Is meteorite hunting profitable? ›

Because many meteorites plunge into the ocean, only a dozen or so falls are recovered worldwide each year. For the folks who find them, it can be lucrative. Buyers include museums, academic institutions and private collectors.

Meteorite NWA 12691 was found in the Sahara Desert and weighs just under 30 pounds, It is valued at more than $2.5 million.

The Best Way to Sell Meteorites Online

Run an Ecwid store on your own website, on popular social media platforms, or through marketplaces like Amazon or eBay. Open your very own Instant Site in just a few minutes or simply add a “Buy Now” button to your blog.

Stone meteorites are worth between $2.00 and $20 per gram but could exceed $1,000 per gram. That means a one pound iron meteorite could be worth more than $2,000 while a one pound stone meteorite could get you $9,000. So how do you know if it's a meteorite?

Some unclassified meteorites will sell for around 50 cents per gram. More beautiful stones such as pallasites contain crystals and can look extremely dazzling when they're polished. Those can range all the way up to $40 dollars a gram. Rarer stones can fetch up to $1000 per gram if they're in good condition.

Common iron meteorite prices are generally in the range of US$0.50 to US$5.00 per gram. Stone meteorites are much scarcer and priced in the US$2.00 to US$20.00 per gram range for the more common material.

The top meteorite hunting places include Antarctica, the desert in the northwest region of the African continent, and the American Southwest. Antarctica is particularly cool (pun intended) because it is a desert of snow and ice, and a dark, weird looking rock from space would be easy to spot.

Nickel Test: Run a chemical test for nickel. If the proportion of nickel is inside the range for meteorites, you may have a meteorite. Weight Test: Meteorites are much more dense than normal earth rocks. Fusion Crust Test: Fusion crust is a thin, dark rind formed on a meteorite as it streaks through our atmosphere.

Value is determined by many different factors including rarity of type, size, condition, aesthetic appeal, and so on. Meteorites have significant financial value to collectors and scientific value to researchers. Meteorite values can range from a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Who will buy my meteorite? ›

We Are Tektite and Meteorite Buyers

SkyFall will buy your entire collection, a part of your collection or even an individual specimen.

You may try contacting the Geological Survey of your state, a local college or university or college or a local natural history museum. In addition, there are a few commercial firms that will charge a fee for examining and identifying suspected meteorites.

The $25,000 reward is for the first meteorite piece found that weighs 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) or more. However, he said the museum would be willing to pay for any specimen “irrespective of its size.” “Finding meteorites in woods of Maine. It's not the simplest of the environments,” Pitt said.

Meteorites do not meet the definition of a mineral resource under the general mining and mineral laws. The extraterrestrial origins of meteorites have made them unique and of extreme commercial and scientific value. Therefore, because of their origins they are not subject to the mining and mineral laws.

The U.S. Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Land Management allows casual collection of up to 10 lbs. per year of meteorites; you cannot sell them without obtaining a permit, subject to other rules.

Meteorite values can range from a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Are meteorites are attracted to magnets? Nearly all meteorites contain a significant amount of extraterrestrial iron, even those that look similar to terrestrial rocks (stony meteorites).

We purchase individual meteorite specimens, entire collections, and also offer appraisal services. If you think you have found a meteorite, please start by reading our Guide to Meteorite Identification HERE. We also offer consignment services for important specimens, for a modest fee.

At the high end of the pricing scale are unusual types such as the diogenite Tatahouine (fell June 27, 1931, Foum Tatahouine, Tunisia). A prime specimen will easily fetch $50/gram while rare examples of lunar and Martian meteorites may sell for $1,000/gram or more — almost forty times the current price of gold!

Common iron meteorite prices are generally in the range of US$0.50 to US$5.00 per gram. Stone meteorites are much scarcer and priced in the US$2.00 to US$20.00 per gram range for the more common material.