SA's first meteorites auction gets underway
South Africa's first meteorite auction kicks off in Johannesburg today.
About 20 meteorites - some fetching close to half a million rand - will go on sale in an event held by fine art and design auctioneers,Stephen Welz and Co.
The discovery of some of the stones date back to the 1800s.
Part of the Seymchan meteorite, discovered in Russia in June 1967 weighs just under 5 kilograms with an asking price of up to R560 000.
While a portion of Namibia's Gibeon meteorite - weighing in at 540 grams - goes on sale for between R15 000 and R18 000. It was discovered in 1837.
Bets will also be placed on two fragments of the moon for about R30 000 to R40 000.
Meteorites found in the country are being conserved by the South African Heritage Resource Agency.