Michael Farmer of Michael Farmer Meteorites, is being featured in his first ever auction at Christie's London from March 23, 2022 through April 6, 2022 online (https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/meteorites-collection-michael-farmer/lots/2182).
The auction includes collector's pieces from Michael's personal private collection, many which are one-of-a-kind, never been seen before meteorites from across the galaxy, and others that have been on exhibit at different museums around the world including The Smithsonian Museum, The Natural History Museum (London), Arizona State University – which has the largest university-based study collection in the world, and others.
"Meteorite collectors want to own pieces that are unobtainable, especially rare pieces that few have. Some of the historic pieces available in the auction that have museum provenance are worth many times what a similar piece is worth without documentation,” said Michael Farmer. “Collectors want to have rare objects in their hands, and meteorites are among the rarest objects we can possess,"
Meteorite hunting is not for the faint of heart. It involves a lot of risk – the time, effort, and gamble of whether each trip will pay off. More than thirty percent of the trips end up with nothing recovered. Rocks fall from the sky and land all over the planet. They fall into the ocean, the desert, and other areas where they most likely are lost forever.
There are only about 20 active meteorite hunters in the world today who will heed the call, leave their lives, jump on a plane, and fly across the globe at a moment's notice to retrieve the rocks that have fallen from the sky. This is what Michael does – every day. The meteorites he has from these trips are in the auction at Christie's in London (accessible online worldwide) from Michael's personal private collection.
James Hyslop, Head of Science and Natural History, Christie's, said: "This sale marks the first online auction of meteorites from London. This Collection has been amassed over nearly three decades by Michael Farmer, who has travelled the world in search of the rarest meteorites. It is a really exciting opportunity for collectors to acquire some of the best examples on the market, including many in pristine condition and with outstanding provenance."
"There are a lot of auction houses, just like there are a lot of jewellry stores. Christie's is the Tiffany's of auction houses,” Michael said. They are trusted by buyers, and when something is offered there, it has been scrutinized and evaluated by them. It's a privilege to work with them to make these rare pieces available to other collectors from my private collection through them."
