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Meteorites: where to buy

A meteorite is a piece of rock or metal from space that survived its fall to the ground, and owning one is a lot easier than finding one. Every recognized meteorite has an official name, usually the place where it was found, such as Campo del Cielo or Gold Basin, or a code such as NWA plus a number for finds from Northwest Africa. Its classification is approved by the Meteoritical Society and listed in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database, so a specimen sold under its official name can be checked there.

The market has fakes, and plenty of "meteorwrongs": ordinary rocks mistaken for meteorites, such as slag, hematite and magnetite. A magnet alone proves little, because most meteorites attract one but slag often does too; if you test a stone, hold the magnet on a string close to it rather than touching it. Buy from dealers who give the official name and classification, show a real address and offer returns, and be careful with online auctions.

If you would rather hunt your own, the Eureka fossil map shows meteorite areas on BLM land where finds have been recorded. Meteorites you find on BLM land are for your own collection only: up to 10 pounds a year, and you may not sell or trade them.

5 shops across the US that sell meteorites. Each one links to its own website, so you can compare them one by one.

• Raining Rocks

  Dealer · Storefront · Tucson, Arizona · Ships nationwide

  Meteorite shop of geologist Suzanne Morrison; ships worldwide

  Rock shop run by geologist Suzanne Morrison and Ilana Brin at the historic Kino Rocks & Minerals site on the south side of Tucson, a rock shop since 1958. Meteorites and impactites, minerals, fossils, petrified wood, lapidary rough and slabs, faceted stones, cabochons and books; the shop also buys collections and lapidary equipment.

  Also sells: Mineral specimens · Rough & slabs · Fossils · Petrified wood

  itsrainingrocks.com ↗Eureka listing →

• Rare Earth Gallery

  Dealer · Storefront · Cave Creek, Arizona · Ships nationwide

  10,000 sq ft Cave Creek gallery; natural stone fountains installed

  Rock and fossil gallery in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix: raw crystals and clusters, geodes, fossils such as ammonites, orthoceras, shark teeth and fish, meteorites, Arizona and Indonesian petrified wood and large decor pieces.

  Also sells: Mineral specimens · Fossils · Petrified wood

  rareearthgallerycc.com ↗Eureka listing →

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