Meteorite Used As Doorstop For Years May Be Worth $100,000

A big rock used as a barn doorstop for decades has been revealed as a meteorite that could worth as much as $100,000. The rock was reportedly found in the 1930s on a Michigan farm, where it was put to use as a doorstop. The space rock continued to perform that job for decades, only recently being identified as something very unique and valuable.

The finding was recently detailed by Central Michigan University, where geology faculty member Mona Sirbescu was asked to take a look at the unusual 22lbs rock. According to Sirbescu, she has been asked to look at potential meteorites before, but never actually had someone show up with one in 18 years.

That all changed when an unnamed man brought in the giant space rock featured in the video above. "I could tell right away that this was something special," Sirbescu explained in a statement published by the university. As it turns out, this is the 6th largest meteorite ever found and identified in Michigan.

The person who brought the meteorite in for identification has chosen to remain anonymous, but shared the story behind the discovery. According to the university, the farm's previous owner had claimed the rock was a meteorite, stating that both he and his father saw it crash down onto the property one night in the 1930s.

The space rock is said to have made a loud noise when it struck the ground, where it created a crater. The farmer and his father recovered it in the morning, digging it free — it was reportedly still warm to the touch when retrieved. It became a part of the farm after that, serving the lowly job of doorstop.

SOURCE: Central Michigan University