‘LUXURY AND RARITY ARE ETERNAL BEDFELLOWS’
Encased in a two inch by two inch metal block, under an adjustable lens, the three tiny rocks may be barely perceptible, but they are invaluable all the same. They are the only known documented example of lunar rocks in private hands and, on November 29, were auctioned off by Sotheby’s for US$855,000 (Dh3.1 million).
The rocks were retrieved in September 1970, when the unmanned Soviet Luna-16 mission landed on the Moon, drilled a hole into its surface and extracted a core sample. In an unheard of occurrence, before or since, this sample was later presented as a gi to Nina Ivanovna Koroleva, widow of the director of the Soviet space programme, Sergei Korolev.
As Sophie Prideaux discovers on page 28, our fascination with outer space has led to the creation of a new investment category: space matter, whether it’s these minuscule Moon rocks, or the 5.4-kilogram lunar meteorite Buagaba, which is believed to be the largest ever discovered and sold for $612,000 in October.
As we write in our feature, on the allure of these otherworldly items: “The appeal of owning a meteorite comes from a different place – a place of human fascination and curiosity, and the idea of welcoming a piece of another world into your own.”
There is something endlessly intriguing about outer space, and the opportunity to own a tangible part of that mystery is attracting seasoned collectors and investors. But it is also an area that elicits interest from those with no specialist knowledge. You don’t have to know that there are only 60,000 existing examples of meteorites in the world, or that the Moon rocks in the Sotheby’s auction are estimated to be 3.4 billion years old, to appreciate their magnificence.
Luxury and rarity are eternal bedfellows, which is also how a Marvel comic that sold for 12 cents in 1962 becomes a unique investment opportunity. As we detail on page 50, a barely-touched 56-year-old first edition of The Incredible Hulk recently sold for Dh614,335 at auction.
Proving that luxury comes in countless forms, on page 44 we speak to Johan Bülow, founder of Lakrids, who decided at the age of 22 that he was going to create the highest quality liquorice in the world. He spent 15 months experimenting in his kitchen before bringing his product to market. Just over 11 years later and his company employs 350 people, and he has just opened a store in The Dubai Mall – the brand’s first outside Europe.
“If we can make it in the UAE, we can make it around the world,” he tells us. Selina Denman, editor