Meteorite from 2003 headed to auction

DALLAS, May 12 (UPI) -- A meteorite chunk that crashed into a suburban Chicago home in 2003 is among the items in a natural history auction by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The 5-pound piece of meteorite, dubbed the "Garza" stone after Noe Garza, whose Park Forest home was struck by the rock, is believed by scientists to have originated as a 10-ton meteorite that hit the atmosphere and broke up before striking the Garza home on the evening of March 26, 2003, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

"Very few meteorites that have ever hit the Earth have had human encounters like this," said David Herskowitz, director of natural history at Heritage Auctions. "The smaller the target a meteorite hits, the more valuable it becomes."

Garza sold the meteorite to Nevada collector Adam Hupe for about $45,000. Hupe previously tried to sell the item for $80,000 in 2004, but it failed to sell.

"The market is better for meteorites now and the prices seem to keep going up and up," Herskowitz said. "This one is a real one-of-a-kind."

The auction, which begins May 17, also includes a pair of mammoth tusks, a saber-toothed tiger skull and rare gemstones.