This is a slice (2.08 grams) of the famous
Mendota "meteorwrong" that was found by Joe Kerchner near Mendota
Illinois while searching for meteorites.
At first glance, an uncut Mendota stone looks like a weathered
chondrite meteorite. It is also strongly attracted to a magnet. So it
is no wonder that Joe thought he had found a meteorite. After
polishing a window, the true bizarre nature of this material was
revealed and it was apparent that Mendota was not a meteorite. But,
after showing these specimens to veteran dealers and experts, nobody
knows what it is exactly. It could be natural or it could be manmade.
This material is currently under analysis at a lab - and any buyers
will be informed what the final lab results are.
Mendota is NOT a meteorite. It is a "meteorwrong" -
which means it looks like a meteorite, but it is not. Mendota is one
of the finest examples of a meteorwrong in existence - it rivals
Plutorano and Shirkovsky for the title of most-convincing meteorwrong.
The matrix is resembles a polymict breccia with pseudo-chondrules,
clasts, and extensive rivulets of metal that flow throughout the matrix
and surround the various inclusions. It has a greyish-blue overall
coloration, with bits of brown, orange, red, white, blue, black and
others. There is so much metal in this material, that is resembles a
mesosiderite when turned in the light. It is very beautiful and there
is nothing on the market like it. If you are a collector of
meteorwrongs and imposters, then you must have a Mendota specimen.
Refer to the photos. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and is not included.