ALH76009 Antarctica - Height: 4 mm - Width: 3 mm - 0.06 g - (1)

ALH76009 (also called Allan Hills 76009) is an important L6 chondrite meteorite discovered in Antarctica in January 1977 during the first season of the ANSMET program.

Key characteristics:
• Official name: Allan Hills A76009 (ALHA76009)
• Geographic origin: Collected from the Allan Hills (Victoria Land) ice in Antarctica.
• Mission partnership: Discovered during the joint campaigns of ANSMET (United States) and NIPR (Japan) in 1976-1977.
• Finding date: January 20, 1977
• Total known weight (TKW): Approximately 407 kg
• Classification: Stony meteorite, L6 chondrite (low free iron content) containing olivine-hypersthene and dark shock veins crossing the rocky and metallic matrix.
• Magnetic studies: Because of its size, it has often served as a reference for analyzing natural magnetization and terrestrial contaminations of space samples.

The ALH 76009 meteorite is important for collectors because of its historic Antarctic provenance!

Legal status and rules in Antarctica:
In principle, no meteorite discovered in Antarctica is accessible to collectors. While tens of thousands of specimens are retrieved there, these rocks belong to science and are strictly protected.
• Public property: Meteorites found in Antarctica are considered part of global scientific heritage.
• International treaties: The Antarctic Treaty prohibits any commercial exploitation or private appropriation of the continent's natural resources.
• Strict conservation: Missions (such as those conducted by Belgian and international teams) preserve samples in research laboratories (they are frozen and studied), with no sale on the market to private individuals.
• Commercial prohibition: It is illegal to prospect or collect rocks and meteorites in Antarctica for profit or to integrate them into the private collection market.

the ALH 76009 special case: There is practically no other meteorite besides ALH76009 officially from Antarctica that is accessible or freely available for private collectors.
• Historical discovery: ALH76009 was collected in 1976-1977 during the very first season of the ANSMET program, before the implementation of ultra-strict modern heritage management protocols in Antarctica.
• The availability of the ALH76009 meteorite (Allan Hills A76009) on the private market is a fascinating historical exception. It is part of a tiny amount of “pre-ban meteorites.”
• Market tolerance: A few micro fragments or historic cuts of this large mass (totaling 407 kg) have circulated or entered very old private collections, making it an extremely rare market anomaly.

If true enthusiasts display a piece of ALH76009 in their collection, it is almost always a micro-sample weighing between 0.01 and 0.5 gram. These rare fragments are highly sought after and exchange hands at very high price per gram due to their absolute historical rarity.

For the vast majority of other polar specimens, access is limited exclusively to museums and research institutions. ALH76009 is therefore a temporal legal exception, and the few fragments on the market are relics of a time when the Antarctic legislative bubble had not yet been sealed.

Double Certificate of Authenticity!
You are bidding on a fragment of 0.062 g under a solid glass display case. This fragment is part of a lot of small specimens of 1 g obtained from a renowned American collector, namely Nakhla Dog Meteorite. You will receive, in addition to my Certificate of Authenticity, a copy of the global Certificate of Authenticity established at the time by this great collector.
A beautiful opportunity to add this very rare specimen to your collection!

Buy with confidence, collecting meteorites for over 35 years and I am member #7669 of the IMCA (International Meteorite Collector Association). Take advantage of the opportunity as I am reorganizing my collection, which still currently includes several hundred specimens...

Alien Rocks Meteorites – The Alexandre Debienne Meteorite Collection since 1991!