Farmer finds rock he uses to press ham is a meteorite worth $5.3M

Not sure if this is the right forum to post this, but as it's about an old meteorite I guess that the "space exploration" forum would be the best.

Spanish farmer Faustino Asensio Lopez had no idea the rock he'd used for more than three decades as a ham press when curing meat was extraordinary. He'd found the metallic 18-by-12.5-by-8 hunk in a field in 1980, while tending livestock with his dad, and pressed it into service. He assumed it was military scrap, left there during wartime. But in 2011, after seeing a TV report about meteorites, he had the thing tested. Sure enough, it turned out to be a pre-historic metallic meteorite, cast off from an asteroid or comet, worth about $5.3 million. Now, we imagine, he can splurge on a top-of-the-line ham press – and someone to cure the meat for him, too

This metallic meteorite is the fourth of its kind discovered in Spain after Quesa (Valencia, 1898), Colomera (Granada, 1912) and La Almunia (Zaragoza, 1950).

A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an asteroid or a comet that survives impact with the Earth's surface.

According to the experts, Mr Lopez's meteorite dates back to prehistoric times.

Lopez, who officially owns the meteorite with his brother Ramon, told Spanish news agency EFE on Thursday they are weighing up whether to put it up for sale.

They told journalists they realised there was a worldwide market for meteorites and that an offer could be made online.

But they stressed they 'would not be making a final decision in the next few days' and have not ruled out keeping it for the family.

The pair have already been contacted by possible purchasers in Spain and abroad.

As they wait for the offers to flood in, the brothers have said they will keep it hidden in a safe place, where it will remain until they decide what to do.

Daily Mail
Msn



Wow! More than 90kg/198lb!! This meteorite worth more than 90kg of pure gold....(+/-4.000.000$)

He shouldn't sell it, just charge more for the ham!

reply to post by elevenaugust

The taste of his smoked bacon was "out of this world".

See what I did there???

I am really amazed that it weighs 198lbs. Look at the pictures again; it's a VERY dense hunk 'o spacerock! What a cool story. Who wouldn't sell it? The benefits to society & their family would be many if they sold it (if the $ was managed well), and it'd allow the meteor (meteroid?) to be studied, if it was a science group or museum-affiliated buyer. Keep it in the family? That's crazy! Unless they are millionaires already. IMHO, Of course.

I have a question. How do you use a rock like this to press ham? There is nothing uniform about the rock.

He a strong dude.

reply to post by elevenaugust


A meateorite ?
Sorry.

Originally posted by randyvs
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

A meateorite ?
Sorry.

You sir now need to send me paper towels to wipe up all the coffee I just spewed everywhere after reading your pun!

Good one, thanks for the chuckle!

When asked what hed do with the money.......
the farmer said he" reckoned hed just keep farming till it was all gone"........

can someone explaint o me why they are so expensive? is it just a supply and demand thing?

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

The taste of his smoked bacon was "out of this world".

See what I did there???

dude that sounds cheezy.

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
I have a question. How do you use a rock like this to press ham? There is nothing uniform about the rock.

There is a flat board that is used to press the ham. The meteorite is just a weight used to press down on the board to keep the ham immersed in the curing solution and compacted.

I used to have an old churn that my wife would use to make pickle chips. It was the perfect size for a dinner plate to fit in and press down on the cucumber slices. Add the cuke slices and layer them with salt (the salt leaches out the water from the cuke chips and makes a brine solution) and soon you would have crispy bread and butter chips ready for the pickling solution.

We did something similar to what the farmer did for a weight to hold down the plate. We took a large rock we had in the back yard and set it on the plate for a weight.

Originally posted by happykat39

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
I have a question. How do you use a rock like this to press ham? There is nothing uniform about the rock.

There is a flat board that is used to press the ham. The meteorite is just a weight used to press down on the board to keep the ham immersed in the curing solution and compacted.

I used to have an old churn that my wife would use to make pickle chips. It was the perfect size for a dinner plate to fit in and press down on the cucumber slices. Add the cuke slices and layer them with salt (the salt leaches out the water from the cuke chips and makes a brine solution) and soon you would have crispy bread and butter chips ready for the pickling solution.

We did something similar to what the farmer did for a weight to hold down the plate. We took a large rock we had in the back yard and set it on the plate for a weight.

edit on 3-4-2013 by happykat39 because: (no reason given)

I can understand using this as a weight to keep the meat submerged in the brine, but what kind of ham is he making? Chopped and formed? Ham is made from the upper thigh of a pig's rear leg, de-boned (or you can leave the bone for parma ham, short term ham etc.)

Cool story about the meteorites though. I have found and seen many in Texas, but not nearly as large as the one in this story. They do look similar with the rust and marks. I found them stuck "melted" into limestone too, and there are many melted into the parking lot at Enchanted Rock last time I was there.

Originally posted by sempul
can someone explaint o me why they are so expensive? is it just a supply and demand thing?

That's what I was wondering too, I don't see the value.

Then again I'm into antique porcelain and people can't see the value in that either, they think it's just old tat.

reply to post by gladtobehere


The taste of his smoked bacon was "out of this world".

See what I did there???

pretty funny ^^

Originally posted by sempul
can someone explaint o me why they are so expensive? is it just a supply and demand thing?

Meteorites can fetch very good money because of how rare they are (while a lot hit the Earth, we're not covered in them) and because of what they are.

The minerals/metals themselves are not always rare, but people and institutions that collect meteorites are willing to pay a lot of money for them.

It's like antiques in a way. While you or I might consider some old clock a piece of junk, there are those out there that see it as a treasure and will pay a lot of money to have it.

Originally posted by sempul
can someone explain to me why they are so expensive? is it just a supply and demand thing?

Originally posted by Power_Semi
That's what I was wondering too, I don't see the value.

It's a lump of metal and minerals from SPACE.

Of course it's supply and demand, but we can't mine it, we have to wait until it falls from Space.

Then it's usually very very hard to find when thy land and normally a lot smaller than this one.

So, unless nobody wanted any at all, demand of spacerocks will always outstrip supply.

Originally posted by Power_Semi

Originally posted by sempul
can someone explaint o me why they are so expensive? is it just a supply and demand thing?

That's what I was wondering too, I don't see the value.

Same reason why dinosaur bones are expensive: they are rare, they have scientific value, and they are something unique. Meteorites are rocks from SPACE, ffs! You guys sound like they are just pebbles under your feet.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


Its not really Western ham. Its Presunto which is salt cured for a long time. And once in a while you have to press the whole leg to get the blood out so that 90kg rock would really help

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
I have a question. How do you use a rock like this to press ham? There is nothing uniform about the rock.

There is nothing uniform about pressing ham