Cat Is Out Of The Bag: Rare Pogonodon Skeleton Stalks Bids In Heritage’s Nature & Science Auction

Elephant bird egg, California Gold and never-touched El Sauz meteorite also among August 28 event highlights DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (August 8, 2024) — An extraordinary skeleton of an extinct carnivoran often referred to as a “false saber-toothed cat” will be on the prowl for a new home when it heads to the auction block August 28 in Heritage’s Nature & Science Signature® Auction. The event is bursting with must-have treasures for natural history collectors of all kinds, with an array of fossils, meteorites, gemstones, lapidary art, Gold and historically significant scientific items. The Pogonodon Fossil Skeleton offered in this auction, which roamed the infamous White River Badlands in what is now South Dakota some 30 million years ago, represents a magnificent combination of fossilization and very talented preparation skills. “The Pogonodon skeleton is beyond remarkable,” says Craig Kissick, Director of Nature and Science at Heritage Auction, “boasting an abundance of original material, great presentation and an inherent intensity that any vertebrate skeleton of such quality of the uncommon variety is not likely to be seen again at auction anytime soon.” With threatening canine teeth and a powerful body, the Pogonodon likely was a prolific hunter. This example measures more than 60 inches (152 cm) and features an outstanding skull, pronounced canines and talon-like claws, all in a dynamic pose, thanks to a custom metal armature. This skeleton includes numerous individual pieces that come together as a museum-quality representation of the unique genus. Similar in size and form to some well-known modern varieties, including lions, leopards and jaguars, this prehistoric version was one awesome beast, and this singular, fossilized skeleton demonstrates that with supreme visual appeal. One of the most fascinating items in the auction is an incredible Elephant Bird Egg from Madagascar. Belonging to a group of flightless birds known as ratites (think ostriches, emus, etc.), the Elephant Bird was a beneficiary of the concept of “island gigantism” growing to heights of 10 feet (3 meters) and approaching weights of 880 pounds (400 kilograms). Aepyornis maximus was the largest bird in the world at the time, and one of the heaviest. References to the gigantic creatures, which inhabited Madagascar until going extinct, likely during the 17th century, can be found in the journals of legendary explorer Marco Polo, who described interactions with very large birds in the 12th and 13th centuries, as well as in recorded frequent sightings of Elephant Birds in the 1640s and 1650s, by Etienne de Flacourt, the French Governor of Madagascar. Elephant birds produced eggs more than 160 times the volume of chicken eggs, and examples like the one offered here that are complete, rather than made from composite material, are exceptionally rare. This magnificent example measures nearly 13 inches (33 cm) in height, and has an expected slit on the back side but is otherwise intact. A spectacular Gold Nugget from the Jumper Mine in Mariposa County, California, is from the heart of California’s Mother Lode Country, where settler James Marshall’s discovery of placer Gold at Sutter’s Mill precipitated the California Gold Rush. This locality produced numerous higher-grade pockets; in 1920, that mine yielded 621 troy ounces of the precious metal from 42 tons of ore. One of the biggest Gold nuggets to come out of Mariposa County in a long time, it weighs 10.5 troy ounces and measures 2.79 inches (7.09 cm). It is one thing for a collector to find something he or she has never owned before. The first piece of the El Sauz Meteorite ever offered at auction represents far more than that, as the fact that it has been handled only by those wearing protective gloves means this magnificent specimen never has been touched by human hands. A fireball blazed from the sky into the ground in South Texas February 15, 2023 — a projectile weighing approximately 1,000 pounds hurtling through the atmosphere and crashing into the earth at some 30,000 miles per hour. With a force equal to eight tons of TNT, it exploded about 20 miles above Earth; a majority burned up, but an estimated 50-100 pounds completed the journey. It was discovered on the Coates Ranch (in ironically named Starr County) by Meteorite hunters Phil Mani and Robert Ward, with Mani finding a group of fragments including this spectacular 177-gram specimen. Collected with plastic baggies, the “fresh” El Sauz has often been untouched by human hands, as is the case with this pristine example. Pieces of El Sauz have been donated to the Monnig Meteorite Gallery at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and displayed at the Witte Museum in San Antonio, furthering the imprint of the El Sauz Meteorite across Texas. “Heritage Auctions is excited, privileged and proud to present the first piece of the El Sauz Meteorite ever offered for sale publicly,” says Kissick. “The piece from the witnessed fall is simply spectacular with a very fresh appearance and a great significance for collectors who are always looking to expand their collections with something new and special.” An End Cut from the Main Mass of the NWA 7397 Martian Meteorite will touch down soon in someone’s collection. Found in 2012, this piece from the largest extant specimen of the meteorite contains large ovoid crystals — many of which are chatoyant. The large salmon-hued oikocrysts (crystals that contain other crystals) are composed of low-calcium pyroxene, which encloses crystals of olivine and chromite. The reverse is blanketed in fusion crust, an artifact of the meteorite’s fiery descent through Earth’s atmosphere, where temperatures reached during frictional heating are hotter than the surface of the sun. NWA 7397 shares the compositional and isotopic fingerprint of other meteorites from the fourth-closest planet to the sun. Meteorites from Mars are among the most exotic substances on Earth. A “Gem” Ammonite Fossil from the Bearpaw Formation in Alberta, Canada, is a stunning example of Ammolite, which is uniquely classified as both a fossil and a gemstone. This relatively expansive prehistoric cephalopod measures nearly 20 inches (51 cm) at maximum diameter and a sizable 17 inches (43 cm) on the smaller measurement and has an enormous surface area for its weight. This stunningly beautiful Placenticeras costatum dates to the Late Cretaceous period. A massive Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaur Tooth, from the Hell Creek Formation in Garfield County, Montana, is a massive example is from T-rex and measures an impressive 4.8 inches (12.2 cm) in straight-line length, making it quite the example of dentition from the consummate apex predator of the Late Cretaceous. Other top lots include, but are not limited to: A Gibeon Meteorite from Great Nama Land, Namibia A Touat 008 Lunar Meteorite from Algeria A Fossil Fish Mural Triptych from the Green River Formation in Wyoming A Theropod Dinosaur Claw from Morocco An Adélie Penguin Egg - British National Antarctic ‘Discovery’ Expedition, 1901-1904 from Cape Adare, South Victoria Land, East Antarctica A Polished Turquise Free-Form from Nevada A 753.60-carat Kunzite from an Important Corporate Collection A 6.18-carat Emerald from Zambia Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/8190. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,750,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 6,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist 214-409-1699 or SteveL@HA.com