JUANCHENG METEORITE — AN APOCALYPTIC CHINESE VALENTINE WHICH PORTENDED A COMMUNIST PARTY CHAIRMAN’S DEATH
H5
Shandong Province, China

On February 15, 1997 in China, still Valentine’s Day in the U.S., a meteorite shower rained down on farmland near the Yellow River and the town of Heze in Shandong Province. This meteorite was believed to portend the passing of ailing Communist Party Chairman Deng Xiaoping. When he died several days later, Juancheng meteorites became the most sought-after collectible in China. Said one man who journeyed to the site, “Our Leader protects us from all frontiers, even from above, and when the sky-tissue which separates us from the heavens is torn by a rain of stones, it is time for Our Leader to go and protect us from his new home in the heavens.” As result of CNN coverage of the event, Chinese meteorite and fossil dealers flocked to the Juancheng site only to be met by hundreds of schoolchildren already on an extraterrestrial Easter egg hunt. This large trapezoidal specimen is punctuated by regmaglypts (aerodynamic thumbprints acquired during its descent to Earth) and covered by more than 99% fusion crust. This is a fine, pristine example of a complete stone meteorite—the only complete stone meteorite in this offering. Large specimens of Juancheng, like this example, are especially difficult to obtain as local farmers gifted such specimens to local Communist Party leaders to curry their favor. Balancing in a variety of orientations and exhibiting bright metal points penetrating through the chocolate fusion crust, this is a choice example from a famous Chinese meteorite shower. 93 x 68 x 59mm (3.5 x 2.75 x 2.25 inches) and 529 grams (1 pound).

Estimate: $2,250 - 3,000