The Pultusk Meteorite

SALES - THE COLLECTION - METEORITE HUNTING - CONTACT

PULTUSK
Mazowieckie, Poland
Fell January 30, 1868
H5 Chondrite

CATALOG No. B199.3 through B199.6

PROVENANCE: The Ward-Coonley Collection of Meteorites, Chicago, IL (c. 1901); The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL (FMNH) (1912); The Michael Farmer Collection of Meteorites, Tucson, AZ (Jan-2013).

REMARKS: A series of four small individuals totalling 28.58 grams.

Each stone bears historic graffiti from two important collections. The numbers "440" and "519" are both catalog assignments from the famous Ward-Coonley Collection of Meteorites. "440" was assigned according to Pultusk's numerical position in Ward-Coonley's 1901 catalog (Fig. 1). Three years later, using the same numerical method, the Pultusk group was re-assigned "519" for Ward-Coonley's 1904 catalog of meteorites (Fig. 2).

In 1912, FMNH purchased the entire Ward-Coonley collection of meteorites, including our series of Pultusks, for a sum $80,000. Around 1916, FMNH assigned "Me 1585" to our series as a batch catalog number for these ex. Ward-Coonley Pultusk specimens (Fig. 3).

There they would remain housed in one of America's greatest museums for 100 years until January 2013, when they were deaccessioned and exchanged to a consortium of meteorite dealers and collectors.

CATALOG No. B199.1

PROVENANCE: Anton Berger (1870-1956), Mödling, Austria.

REMARKS: A 56 gram individual with original Berger label. Note the second collection number in the lower left corner of the label (DM.30 or DM.39?), which is unknown. If you have any ideas, please let me know!

REFERENCES:

Farrington, O.C. (1916). Catalogue of the Collection of Meteorites. Field Museum of Natural History, Publication 188, Chicago.

Ward, H.A. (1901). The Ward-Coonley Collection of Meteorites. Chicago.

Ward, H.A. (1904). Catalogue of the Ward-Coonley Collection of Meteorites. Marsh, Aitken & Curtis, Chicago.

Fig. 1: Exceprt from Ward (1901) showing our Pultusk series' debut in a publication.

Fig. 2: Excerpt from Ward (1904) showing our Pultusk series in what would be Ward-Coonley's final meteorite collection catalog.

Fig. 3: Excerpt from FMNH's first catalog after acquiring the Ward-Coonley collection (Farrington, 1916), which shows our series' batch catalog number.