FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Josh Chait
310.285.0182
josh@chait.com

METEORITES FROM THE HEAVENS; DINOSAURS FROM THE JURASSIC PERIOD AND THE SKULL OF HOLLYWOOD’S KING OF SUSPENSE SOLD AT AUCTION IN BEVERLY HILLS!

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I.M. CHAIT GALLERY HOSTS HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL NATURAL HISTORY SALE

Lot 273

21st December 2005, Beverly Hills: Nearly two hundred bidders from across the globe visited I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers and chose the most exotic, rare stocking stuffers this holiday season as the Gallery hosted its final sale of the year Sunday, December 18, 2005. Over two hundred and fifty museum-quality fossils, gems and Minerals, Meteorites and Dinosauria were made available to collectors, and the response proved that the renowned Gallery is indeed Southern California’s Natural History Headquarters. The sale, in association with Natural History expert Mr. David Herskowitz, and Gem and Mineral specialists Jim Walker and Mary Fong-Walker present a showcase of specimens rarely made available to collectors at public auction.

LARGEST VERTEBRAE EVER KNOWN TO FLY CAUGHT IN BEVERLY HILLS!

The auction offered a magnificent specimen of a Rhamphorhynchus Gemmingi, (pictured above) the rarest of all Pterosaurs found in the limestone quarry at Solnhofen, Germany. This beautifully preserved, virtually complete specimen, displayed on its original matrix slab, sold for an amazing $105,750.

Lot 246

A RARE PAIR OF WOOLY MAMMOTH TUSKS
Measure 99” and 110” along the curves
Sold for $105,750

Lot 235

THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE IS LAID TO REST……..

Twenty-five years after the acclaimed director’s death, Chait Gallery sold his well-preserved skull for $5,875. The skull is natural human bone and is dissected in nine places to illustrate its internal anatomy for medical education. Of note is the delicate dissection of both auditory sinuses. Such antique medical models are highly collectable. The lot features the actual skull with which the author communes, sharing his indulgence in tobacco, while posed for the somber cover photograph of his book entitled, ‘Skull Session’. This intriguing piece of Hollywood memorabilia also represents an important example of medical paraphernalia from a bygone era.

Lot 268

A RARE DINOSAUR SKELETON
Archaeoceratops oshimai
Cretaceous
Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, China
Sold for $23,500

Lot 260

A SPECTACULAR OPALESCENT AMMONITE
Placenticeras meeki
Cretaceous
Bearpaw Formation, Alberta, Canada
SOLD FOR $31,725

“THE MOST POWERFUL STONE OF THE MILLENNIUM” - Feng Shui Master Edward Kui Mind Li

Ammonites have served as a symbol of abundance, good luck and prosperity in the Far East. These 71 million year old fossils are believed to attract wealth and good fortune, enhance clarity, wisdom, and promote creativity. This particular ammonite is among the finest ever discovered to date. Both sides of this extraordinary specimen display uncommonly bright colors, naturally created by the combination of millions of years of compression and the mineralization of iron, copper and silica, which precipitated from volcanic ashes. This outstanding specimen sold for an impressive $31,725

Lot 269

DINOSAUR EGG WITH AN EMBRYONIC DINOSAUR SKELETON EXPOSED
Elongatoolithus, Oviraptor sp.
Late Cretaceous, 65-70 million years old
Nanxiong Formation, Guangdong Province, China
SOLD FOR $30,550

70 MILLION YEAR-OLD RAPTOR READY TO HATCH!

Dr. Mark Norell and others at the American Museum of Natural History, New York have found similar eggs during collecting expeditions to Mongolia. The embryos found in these eggs have been identified as belonging to a species of Oviraptor. The specimen has been examined by several technicians at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and they concur with the conclusions of this description. This notable piece sold for $30,550.

Lot 245

RARE GIANT SABRE-TOOTHED CAT
Machairodus giganteus
Miocene
Guanghe Beds, near Liuxia
Gansu Province, China
SOLD FOR $25,850

This last May, 2005, the Chait Gallery sold the second highest-price paid for a fossil at auction in history. The fossil was a virtually complete skull of a Saber-toothed cat and it generated a whopping $282,000.00. This auction offered a similar piece from the East. The skull, with a large pair of sabres in excellent condition, nearly 100% original, and possessing the “steak knife” serrations that made these denizens of ancient China such ruthless and effective killers. This amazing piece sold for $25,850.

Other notable items sold:

LOT 51: MASSIVE GOLD NUGGET
Rheola, Central Victoria, Australia Natural gold nuggets weighing over 5 ounces are quite rare. In fact, only about 3 to 4 nuggets weighing over 50 ounces are discovered each year world wide, and most of them are unattractive and brassy in color. This wonderful exception is extremely high in purity and therefore shows a rich golden-yellow color. Measuring 5 3/4 X 3 3/4 inches and weighing an impressive 70.38 troy ounces.
Sold for $88,125

LOT 107: AN IMPRESSIVE TIGER IRON SLAB
The highly polished slab displays numerous layers of these ancient colonies representing millions of years of compression of overlying material. The erratic nature of the varying sedimentation rates is readily apparent in the red, brown and golden-honey tiger's-eyes banding of this uncommonly large slab. Measuring 75 1/4x 23 3/4 inches.
Sold for $35,250

LOT 198: FINE OPAL AND ROCK CRYSTAL NECKLACE
Frances Klein Antique Jewelry of Beverly Hills. A fine opal and rock crystal strand of graduated design. Comprising round polished white opal beads with excellent play-of-color, measuring from 11.1 mm ? 5.7 mm, with faceted rock crystal spacers, completed by a barrel form clasp, circa 1900, set with old-cut diamonds, length 32 inches. Has the original silk storage bag with the notation "Frances Klein, Antique Jewelry of Beverly Hills."
Sold for $6169

LOT 222: GLORIETA MOUNTAIN - A FASCINATING COMPLETE SLICE OF A FABLED AMERICAN METEORITE
Stony-Iron - PAL-ANOM (Pallasite) Glorieta Mountain, New Mexico This exquisite fish-shaped example is from one of the rarest and most storied meteorites obtainable. It is difficult to acquire a complete slice from the Glorieta main mass (the single largest meteorite associated with any given event), and especially a complete slice as enticing as the current offering. Loaded with brightly translucent olivine and peridot scattered throughout the nickel-iron matrix, less than 1% of all meteorites are pallasites, and Glorieta Mountain is among the most coveted. This is an exemplary specimen from the Macovich Collection of Meteorites. 118 x 150 x 2mm (4.5 x 6 x 0.1 inches) and 191 grams.
Sold for $4,700

LOT 237: A LARGE NARWHAL TUSK
Narwhals are the rarest species of whale in the oceans today. The present specimen measures 6 feet 6 1/2 inches in length and is from a museum collection in Ohio. It comes complete with documentation allowing it to be sold within the United States.
Sold for $16,450

LOT 248: MOSASAUR SKULL
Mosasaurinae Globidensini prognatodon sp. Cretaceous Sidi Daoui, Khouribga, Morocco Mosasaurs belonged to a group of strange seagoing reptiles that lived contemporaneously with the dinosaurs until both became extinct 65 million years ago. The present specimen is well-preserved and displays most of its original teeth including the pterygoidals. It has been expertly prepared completely free of matrix and mounted on a custom iron display base. The skull measures 28 inches in length, is 14 inches tall and 10 inches wide.
Sold for $44,062

The I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers hosts monthly Antique and Estate Auctions, quarterly Asian and International Fine Art sales, bi-annual Natural History auctions, as well as special celebrity auctions throughout the year. For more information on coming sales, please contact the Gallery at 310 285 0182, or visit our website at www.chait.com.