[meteorite-list] Wolsey Meteorite, Marlin Cilz 1990 NPA

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: The News
City: Frederick,  Maryland
Date: Wednesday, August 1, 1990
Page: B-2

'Money from heaven' for meteorite

     WOLSEY, S.D. (AP) - You've heard of pennies from heaven.  Would you 
believe enough to buy a new car?
      That's roughly how much money Robert and Mildred Eichstadt got 
recently for selling a 160-pound meteorite found on their land nine years 
ago.
     The couple won't say exactly how much they were paid by Marlin Cilz, a 
collector from Malta, Mont. But Mrs. Eichstadt says it was “a large amount” 
and agrees that comparing it to the price of a new small car is fair.
     "It's probably the best crop we ever took off of our farm," she said.
     The meteorite, about the size of two basketballs, was found on their 
farm in eastern South Dakota, near Huron, by their oldest son, Bruce, when 
the disc harrow he was using to prepare a field caught the object and rolled 
it over.
     "Bruce knew right away what it was," said Mrs. Eichstadt. "He said it 
was a meteorite, that it couldn't be a rock. It's so hard, it just made a 
shiny spot on it where the disc hit it."
     The Eichstadts had no idea it had any value, so they let it sit in 
their yard.
     But they began looking to sell it a few months ago after they saw 
information about Mr. Cilz in a farm publication.
     When Mr. Cilz made the Eichstadts an offer, their reaction was, "This 
can't be happening to us," said Mrs. Eichstadt. "As soon as we found out it 
had some value, we didn't have it setting out (in the yard) any longer."
     Mr. Cilz estimated that the meteorite fell on the land that is now the 
Eichstadts' farm about 2,200
years ago. Mrs. Eichstadt says Mr. Cilz indicated the meteorite likely will 
be cut into pieces to be sold to collectors.

(end)

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.imca.cc