Meteorite Used as Doorstop on Michigan Man's Property Ends Up Being Worth $100,000

A Michigan man sat with a valuable meteorite on his property for decades, even sometimes using it as a doorstop. 

The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was aware of the rock's provenance from the time he bought the house in Edmore in 1988. The previous owner had informed him the rock had landed there after a meteor shower in the 1930s, according to Central Michigan University’s College.

The man even let his kids take the rock to school for show-and-tell throughout the years.

In January, however, the owner learned that people were selling meteorites for money, and he wanted to know if the one he had was worth anything. 

"I said, 'Wait a minute. I wonder how much mine is worth,'” the man said. 

A friend referred him to Mona Sirbescu, a geology faculty member at Central Michigan University’s College of Science and Engineering.

"I could tell right away that this was something special," Sirbescu said. 

The 22-plus-pound meteorite turned out to be the sixth-largest in Michigan and was valued at $100,000.

“It’s the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically,” Sibescu said.

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