Here’s why this doghouse will likely sell for hundreds of thousands
A doghouse up for auction could sell for more than $400,000 - the same price as a Brisbane apartment - and it's thanks to one small hole in its tin roof.
In 2019, a meteorite tore through the sky towards the city of Aguas Zarcas in north central Costa Rica, crash landing in the doghouse while the pooch was still inside.
The resulting seven-inch hole has made the simple wood and tin structure a highly sought after item, which is now estimated to sell for between $280,000 and $420,000 at Christie’s “Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and other Rare Meteorites”.
“On April 23, 2019 at 9.07pm, a German Shephard [sic] named Roky experienced quite a fright. A meteorite, part of a shower of exotic stone meteorites loaded with organic compounds, crashed through his doghouse, barely missing him,” Christie’s explains.
“Aguas Zarcas meteorites are the same type as Murchison, among the most researched meteorites of all time.
“These samples not only contain tens of thousands of prebiotics, including amino acids, but also pre-solar grains ranging up to twice the age of the solar system. Today, many cosmochemists throughout the world are either investigating Aguas Zarcas specimens or waiting to obtain them.”
A meteorite and the kennel it crashed into have both been put up for auction, with the doghouse expected to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Image: Christie’s
With meteorites usually landing in the ocean or ending up buried deep underground in remote areas if they do end up on land, the one that struck Roky’s kennel is incredibly rare.
Unfortunately, Christie’s explains that the house belonging to Roky’s owners won’t see an increase in value thanks to the meteorite, and that objects are what benefit most.
“Although the few homes hit by falling meteorites do not become worth much more when struck, that is not the case with other objects,” the site reads.
The high-end auctioneer is also selling off the meteorite itself, which is expected to go for between $56-$84,000.
Though he may be separated from the meteor, Roky is leaving a permanent mark on the space stone.
“The front face of the meteorite is accented with a sienna-hued streak caused by the meteorite’s passage through the oxidized [sic] tin roof of Roky’s Doghouse.”
Currently, there are 16 bids on the doghouse and eight on the meteorite, with bidding due to end on February 23.
Image: Christie’s