On July 16, 2025, Sotheby’s hosted a stunning auction featuring two extraordinary items: a Martian meteorite named NWA 16788 and a juvenile dinosaur skeleton. According to NBC, the meteorite, weighing 54 pounds and ejected from Mars by an ancient asteroid impact, sold for over $5 million, exceeding its projected price. Discovered in Niger’s Sahara Desert in 2023, the rock has traveled an astounding 140 million miles to reach Earth.
Bidding War for a Piece of Mars
The Martian meteorite set a record as the most valuable of its kind, selling for $4.3 million (or $5.3 million after fees). Despite the slow pacing at times, the real excitement emerged from the bidding for a juvenile ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton. This specimen, one of only four known and the only juvenile, sparked fierce competition among bidders.
With an initial offer of $6 million, six bidders engaged in a thrilling six-minute battle, causing the price to escalate in increments of $500,000 to $1 million before it ultimately closed at $26 million, eliciting applause from the audience at Sotheby’s.
Ceratosaurus to Be Loaned for Exhibition
The buyer of the $26 million Ceratosaurus nasicornis skeleton plans to loan it to an institution, expanding public access to this historic find. This skeleton now ranks as the third-priciest dinosaur ever sold, trailing behind the record-breaking $44.6 million Stegosaurus, known as “Apex,” sold in 2024.
Discovered near Laramie, Wyoming, in 1996 and reassembled from 140 bones, this juvenile predator stands over 6 feet tall and measures 11 feet long, dating back 150 million years to the late Jurassic period.
A Unique Piece of Martian History
The Martian meteorite NWA 16788 is not just any rock; weighing in at 15 inches across, it is 70% larger than any other Mars fragment on Earth and constitutes nearly 7% of all Martian material ever recovered. Its striking reds and grays make it a unique specimen that various collectors and scientists are eager to own.
As the auction highlights the ongoing fascination with both the cosmos and prehistoric life, it serves as a reminder of the value placed on our planet’s and beyond natural history.
