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

EXTINCT SEA MONSTER FOUND IN BEVERLY HILLS!

View Sale

Lot 225 sold for $120,000

Amazing paleontological finds:
• An Ichthyosaur with a baby Ichthyosaur inside its stomach!
• An Egyptian mummy head!
• A virtually complete dinosaur skull!
• Ten-foot tall fully mounted fossil cave bear!
• A piece of the moon and the planet Mars!

Beverly Hills, February 24, 2006 -- These amazing and extremely rare discoveries are but a small sampling of the magnificent treasures soon to be on display at I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers in Beverly Hills. On May 21st, 2006, scores of museum-quality gems and minerals, meteorites, fossils and dinosauria will be auctioned off during what promises to be one of the most exciting natural history sales to date. The world-renowned gallery, in association with prominent Natural History Specialist Mr. David Herskowitz, currently holds the record for the second-highest price paid for a natural history specimen at auction. “The offerings in this sale are by far some of the rarest and highest quality. I am confident that the public will be ecstatic with the surprises the sale has in store,” said Isadore Chait, president of the auction house.

SEA DRAGON SWIMS TO WIN GOLD!

The Ichthyosaur (Greek for fish lizard) first appeared 250 million years ago, 20 million years earlier than the first dinosaur. They swam steadfastly in the surfs of the Mesozoic ocean, taking the role of what whales and dolphins may carry today in the vast ecosystem of old. An example of one of the similarities between the Ichthyosaur and current-day cetaceans (whales and dolphins) is that all three most likely used their forefins to maneuver and trek the waters. The importance of the Ichthyosaur is expressed in the following quote:

“Fossils still being teased from the rock strongly hint that the largest predator ever on our planet may well have been an ocean-dwelling ichthyosaur.” - Sid Perkins, Science News

The shape and size of the diverse Ichthyosaur changed with the ever-changing climate of the planet. With lizard-like beginnings framed by fins, to a more fishlike shape, all reptiles flourished when the worldwide temperatures were high. Indeed, for approximately 150 million years – well until they disappeared from the fossil record around 90 million years ago -- these amazing ocean troopers are by far one of the most interesting elements of Earth’s past.

The May sale offers an amazing and extremely rare, 190 million year old, virtually complete fossil Ichthyosaur carrying a baby that is clearly visible and defined. There are no known examples of this fossil outside museums. In fact, there are only around six specimens of this kind in existence and all are in European museums.

EGYPTIAN NOBILITY MUMMIFIED IN BEVERLY HILLS!

Around 2600 BCE, during the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties in the dry Egyptian air, special priests gathered boxes or canopic jars around newly-deceased pharaohs, nobility, and members of the upper-echelons of Egyptian society. The priests proceeded to extract the brain of the deceased with fine hooked instruments through the nostrils, then the organs in the chest and abdomen from an incision made on the left side. The stomach, liver, lungs, and intestines were placed in individual jars for preservation, leaving only the heart, which was believed to be the center of the person’s being. The priests followed by removing all the moisture from the body, then wrapping the body in hundreds of yards of linen. Thus began the ancient tradition of embalming, or mummification.

The Egyptians believed that an in tact mummified body could serve as the house for the soul in the afterlife. If the body was destroyed, the akh, or spirit, would be lost. The long process of mummification took seventy days and ended with an elaborate funeral by and inside the tomb.

The sale offers a well-preserved authentic Egyptian mummy head from the Ptolemaic period of Egypt. This remarkable specimen is complete and displays the original wrappings over the top of the head. Still attached to the head is part of the neck region with several cervical vertebrae. This specimen is beautifully prepared, exhibiting no distortion, thereby indicating that this may have been a high status individual.

LUNAR AND MARTIAN METEORITES FALL FROM THE HEAVENS!

An amazing 4.5 billion-year-old lunar rock traveled 250,000 miles to Earth and two slices of this lunar real-estate will be offered for sale to the highest bidder! Samples of the Moon, and in particular, lunar meteorites, are among the rarest naturally occurring substances on earth. The total amount of lunar meteorite material known to exist weighs less than 24 pounds. There are only 22 different lunar meteorites, fully half of which will never be available to the public, as they are now held in the national collections of the United States, Japan and a consortium of European countries. This sale will provide an extremely rare opportunity to own a piece of the moon.

OWN A PIECE OF THE HIGHEST-RANKED PLANET IN THE GALAXY 500!

The magnificent orange planet Mars is by far the most fascinating and high atop the “Galaxy 500,” a term coined by scientists of well-followed elements of our Solar System. Believe it or not, leisurely travel may be conducted by earthlings to this amazing place in the near future. Spend a Martian day (49 hours, 12 minutes in Earth time) possibly surfing in the southern polar regions where the lofty warn waves reach an astonishing thirty meters high.

From viewing glorious natural pyramids to possibly trekking lofty peaks thirteen thousand times the height of Mount Everest to view any of the planet’s 82 moons, there is truly something for everyone on this planetary wonder.

To those on a strict budget but wanting to capture a piece of this amazing planet, look no further! I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers is offering a slice of one of the few Martian meteorites known.

The Natural History auction will be held on Sunday, May 21, 2006, at 1:00 PM PST. The auction offers in-room, absentee, phone, and live on-line bidding. I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers is located at 9330 Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills, California, 90210. For more information, please contact (310) 285-0182, or visit www.chait.com.

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IM CHAIT TO EXHIBIT AT THE ASIA INTERNATIONAL ARTS & ANTIQUES FAIR IN HONG KONG

IM Chait Gallery/Auctioneers is pleased to invite you to visit our booth at the Asia International Arts & Antiques Fair which will be held May 26-29, at the AsiaWorld-Expo, Hall 3 (adjacent to Hong Kong International Airport). Please see the fair information below or go directly to their website at www.aiaa.com.hk

If you plan on being in the Hong Kong area, please visit our booth # E 26. There will be important pieces on display for our upcoming auctions as well as complementary catalogues.