How Much Is a Meteorite Worth?
Meteorite value: about $0.50–$5 per gram for common types; $25 to $1,000+ per gram for lunar and Martian
Most meteorites are ordinary stony chondrites or common irons, and dealers sell them for about $0.50 to $5 a gram. Rarer types cost more: pallasites and meteorites from the asteroid Vesta mostly $3–$60 a gram, and pieces of the Moon or Mars $25 to over $1,000 a gram. Two cautions first. Almost every rock people think is a meteorite isn't: one university expert found only 9 meteorites among more than 800 lab-tested rocks. And these are retail prices; a finder selling to a dealer gets less.
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Upload a clear photo. Ruby Glint identifies the specimen, then gives a value range based on its type and size. It is an estimate, not an appraisal.
No photo app, ours included, can confirm a meteorite; meteorite scientists warn that image apps are usually wrong about them. Treat the result as a first screen, then run the tests below.
Meteorite Prices by Type (2026)
Retail asking prices per gram from established meteorite dealers, September 2026.
| Type | Examples and notes | Typical retail price |
|---|---|---|
| Unclassified common stony meteorite | Ordinary chondrites from the Sahara (NWA) with no official name yet | Typical retail price: $0.50–$2 per gram |
| Classified common stony meteorite | Ordinary chondrites with an official name, such as NWA 869 | Typical retail price: $1–$3 per gram |
| Common iron meteorites | Campo del Cielo (about $1/g), Canyon Diablo, Sikhote-Alin, Gibeon; etched slices cost more | Typical retail price: $1–$6 per gram |
| Carbonaceous chondrites | Common desert types about $9–$17/g; famous falls such as Murchison about $1,000/g | Typical retail price: $9 to $100+ per gram |
| Pallasites and mesosiderites (stony-iron) | Seymchan, Imilac, Brahin, Sericho; slices with clear olivine cost the most | Typical retail price: $3–$60 per gram |
| Meteorites from Vesta (HED achondrites) | Eucrites, howardites and diogenites | Typical retail price: $3–$35 per gram |
| Fresh witnessed falls | In the first months after a fall; rare types and ones that hit a house or car cost the most | Typical retail price: $100–$400 per gram, up to about $1,000 |
| Lunar meteorites | Common breccias at the low end; rare mare basalts near the top | Typical retail price: $25 to $1,000+ per gram |
| Martian meteorites | A typical desert Martian is about $220/g; famous ones such as Tissint about $1,000/g | Typical retail price: $40 to $1,000+ per gram |
Prices vary widely between dealers: the same lunar meteorite was listed at about $82/g by one and about $205/g by another. The record sale: the 24.67 kg Martian meteorite NWA 16788 sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby's in July 2025; in September 2026 US authorities announced they had seized it over import questions.
What Makes a Meteorite Worth More
The factors buyers and dealers actually price on.
Type and rarity
Pieces of the Moon, Mars and rare meteorite types sell for far more than ordinary chondrites, which make up about 87% of stony meteorites. Only about 9 in 1,000 known meteorites come from the Moon and 5 in 1,000 from Mars.
Official classification
A meteorite with an approved name in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database sells for more than unclassified material that looks the same, because buyers know exactly what they are getting.
Seen to fall, or found
Only about 1.8% of meteorites were seen to fall. Witnessed falls carry a premium, highest in the weeks after the fall and lower once many pieces are recovered.
Freshness
Desert finds are graded from W0 (pristine) to W6 (heavily weathered). Fresh, unrusted stones with intact crust are worth more.
Crust and shape
A complete fusion crust, thumbprint-like dimples (regmaglypts), a cone-shaped 'oriented' form, flow lines or natural holes all add a premium.
Cutting and polishing
Cut, polished and etched slices sell for more per gram than raw pieces: Gibeon slices run about $4.70–$6 a gram against about $2.50 for large whole pieces.
Size and supply
For common types the price per gram usually drops as pieces get bigger, and big new recoveries push prices down. Lunar prices fell about 90% from the early 2000s as Saharan finds grew.
Story and paperwork
A famous fall, an old collection label or a well-documented find adds value, and so does clean legal title. Buyers now check export paperwork more closely.
First, Is It Really a Meteorite?
Passing these tests doesn't prove a rock is a meteorite; it only means the rock is worth getting tested. Failing any of the first five usually rules it out.
- 1
Magnet test
Use a cheap fridge magnet, not a strong rare-earth one. About 95% of meteorites attract it. No pull usually rules a rock out (apart from some rare types from the Moon and Mars); a pull proves nothing on its own, because magnetite and slag stick too.
- 2
Heft and density
Meteorites feel heavy for their size. Stony ones have a density of about 3.0–3.7 g/cm³ and irons about 7–8. A non-metallic rock denser than about 4 (like hematite or magnetite) or lighter than 3 is almost certainly not a meteorite.
- 3
Fusion crust
Look for a thin black or brown rind, rarely more than 1–2 mm thick, that is darker than the inside. No crust means no reason to suspect a meteorite. Desert varnish can mimic it.
- 4
No gas bubbles
A rock full of holes (vesicles) is almost certainly slag or volcanic rock, not a stony meteorite.
- 5
Streak test
Scrape it on the unglazed back of a white tile. A red-brown streak means hematite and a dark gray one magnetite. Meteorites leave little or no streak.
- 6
Metal on a ground corner
Grind a small corner flat. Most stony meteorites show bright flecks of iron-nickel metal. If a rock attracts a magnet but shows no shiny metal, it isn't a meteorite.
- 7
Where you found it
Beaches, stream beds, roadsides, railroads and piles of similar rocks make a meteorite very unlikely. Slag from smelting is used as road and rail fill, so it turns up everywhere.
- 8
Lab confirmation
Only chemistry confirms a meteorite; a nickel analysis settles most cases. Full classification typically costs several hundred dollars; one nonprofit lab lists $500 for microprobe analysis and $150 for XRF on a suspected iron.
Common look-alikes
Iron concretions
The most common 'meteorwrong': heavy, rusty, oddly shaped hematite or goethite with a red streak.
Magnetite
Magnetic and dense, but it leaves a dark gray streak and has no fusion crust.
Slag
Glassy, bubbly and often magnetic. It is used as road and railroad fill, so it is found everywhere.
Basalt
Dark volcanic rock that is often full of holes and can be nearly as dense as a stony meteorite.
Industrial metal
Silicon, ferroalloys, melted cans and steel mill balls fool both magnets and metal detectors.
Desert-varnished rock
A dark, shiny coating mimics fusion crust, but the inside is the same color as the outside.
Not sure what you have? Identify it free from a photo.
Collecting Rules to Know
- On private land in the US, a meteorite belongs to the landowner, not the finder. Get permission before you search and written title before you sell.
- On BLM land you may casually collect up to 10 pounds of meteorites per person per year, for personal use only; selling them needs a commercial permit. BLM still posts this policy (IM 2012-182), but confirm with the local office.
- Collecting anything, including meteorites, is illegal in national parks, and metal detectors are banned there.
- Many countries control meteorites: Canada requires export permits, Australian states treat them as state or Crown property, and Niger suspended meteorite exports in 2025.
How to Sell a Meteorite
- Get it classified first if you can. An official name makes a meteorite easier to sell and supports a higher price; unclassified stones often sell for under $1–$2 a gram.
- Sell through established dealers who belong to the International Meteorite Collectors Association (IMCA), whose code requires honest labeling.
- Valuable pieces go to gem and mineral shows, especially Tucson in February, or to specialist auctions at Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams.
- Expect less than retail from a dealer, and be wary of open marketplaces, where fake meteorites are common.
- Keep proof that it's yours to sell: landowner permission or title, and export paperwork for pieces from abroad.
- For specimens you own outright, you can also list them in the Ruby Glint app's marketplace and chat with buyers.
Identify, value and sell your finds
Scan a specimen for its name and a value range, keep it in your collection, and list it in the marketplace to chat with buyers.
Meteorite Value Questions
Get answers to common questions about rock identification, rockhounding, and using our platform.
Most common meteorites, ordinary chondrites and irons such as Campo del Cielo, sell for about $0.50–$5 a gram at retail. Pallasites and Vesta meteorites mostly cost $3–$60 a gram, lunar meteorites $25 to over $1,000, and Martian meteorites $40 to over $1,000. A finder selling to a dealer gets less than these prices.
Not necessarily. About 95% of meteorites attract a cheap magnet, but so do magnetite, slag and iron ore. Check for a thin fusion crust and shiny metal flecks on a ground corner, and do a streak test: a red-brown or dark gray streak rules a meteorite out.
Very rare. A Washington University meteorite scientist found only 9 meteorites among more than 812 rocks that people had paid to have lab-tested, and a dealer who tests submissions says far fewer than 1% turn out to be genuine.
No app can confirm a meteorite, including Ruby Glint. A photo can suggest what a rock might be, but only physical tests and a lab analysis of nickel and other elements can confirm one.
Run the self-tests first, then contact your state geological survey, a university geology department or a natural history museum; many university labs no longer accept samples from the public. Chemistry or microprobe analysis typically costs a few hundred dollars. An official name requires depositing a type specimen (20% of the mass or 20 g, whichever is less) with an approved collection.
On US private land it belongs to the landowner. On BLM land you can collect up to 10 pounds a year for personal use, but selling needs a commercial permit. Collecting in national parks is illegal, and many other countries have their own rules.
NWA 16788, a 24.67 kg Martian meteorite, sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby's in July 2025. In September 2026 US authorities announced they had seized it over import questions.
Related guides
Sources
Price ranges come from published dealer prices, auction results and the sources below, checked September 25, 2026. Prices move, so treat them as a guide.
- Washington University: Some meteorite realities (R. Korotev)
- Washington University: Meteorite self-test checklist
- Washington University: Some meteorite statistics
- Galactic Stone & Ironworks: Meteorite Market Report 2025
- Treasure Coast Meteorite Co.: How much do meteorites cost?
- Meteorite Exchange: How much is a meteorite worth?
- BLM: Collection of meteorites on public land (IM 2012-182)
- 36 CFR 2.1: Preservation of natural resources (national parks)
- Meteoritical Society: Guidelines for meteorite nomenclature
- LMAC: Meteorite analysis price schedule
- CBS News: Largest piece of Mars sells for nearly $5.3 million
- IMCA: Code of ethics