Rock used as a doorstop for decades is actually a $100,000 meteorite | Mashable

2022-08-08 13:34:33 By : Ms. Mikayla wang

Next time you prop open your door with a makeshift doorstop such as a stone, you might want to give it a closer look. David Mazurek, a lucky man from Michigan, did just that and it really paid off.

After finally investigating the rock he'd used as a doorstop for literal decades, Mazurek discovered it's actually a meteorite worth $100,000. 👀

Mazurek was inspired to take the doorstop to Central Michigan University for inspection after seeing reports of meteorite pieces selling for thousands of dollars earlier this year, according to Associated Press.

"I said, 'Wait a minute. I wonder how much mine is worth,'" he told the news organization.

After Central Michigan University Geology Professor Mona Sirbescu determined the doorstop was no ordinary rock, she reportedly sent two pieces over to the Smithsonian.

"I could tell right away that this was something special," Sirbescu told the AP. "It’s the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically."

Mazurek explained that the rare mass of iron and nickel came with his barn in Edmore, which he purchased it back in 1988. The 23 pound specimen is now believed to be the sixth largest meteorite ever found in Michigan.

"The story goes that it was collected immediately after they witnessed the big boom and the actual meteorite was dug out from a crater," Sirbescu told the AP. Mazurek added that the farmer who sold him the barn told him the specimen landed in the backyard in the 1930s.

As for the future of the find, Sirbescu said meteorites are often sold to collectors or museums. Additional tests on the meteorite are currently being performed, but both the Smithsonian and a mineral museum in Maine have already shown interest in acquiring the meteorite, according to the AP.

"I’m done using it as a doorstop. Let’s get a buyer!" Mazurek said.

Perhaps after he sells it and upholds his promise to donate to the university, Mazurek will consider investing in a real doorstop.