As he was taken on a grand tour, the man spotted an odd-looking rock propping open a shed door.
The owner told him that during the 1930s, the rock fell from the sky and ‘made a heck of a noise when it hit’.
He and his son dug up the still-warm rock and had used it as a door stop ever since.
The man ended up buying the property and the farmer threw in the rock.
Thinking no more of it, the man continued to use the rock as a door stop for the next 30 years – until other Michigan residents made the news for finding pieces of meteorites.
Curious, the man took the rock to the Central Michigan University to find out if the old farmer’s story was true.
Geology professor Mona Sirbescu instantly knew the 10-kilo rock was something special. An examination revealed a composite of 88 per cent iron and 12 per cent nickel – a rare find on Earth. The rock was indeed a meteorite.
‘It’s the most valuable specimen I have ever held in my life, monetarily and scientifically,’ Mona said.
The meteorite is estimated to be worth around $140,000, but for Mona the thrill of the find is priceless.
‘Just think, what I was holding is a piece of the early solar system,’ she said in awe.
Read more in this week's issue of that's life, on sale now.
* Photo is of model only and is unrelated to this story.
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