Dinosaur poo, meteorites up for auction

New York -- A New York auction house says it will hold an auction of meteorites, fossilized dinosaur droppings and other natural history artifacts.

Bonhams New York said its new Madison Avenue galleries will play host to Wednesday's auction, which includes the Fukang Meteorite, which fell on China in 2000 and is expected to fetch up to $2.75 million; a 30,000-year-old woolly mammoth tusk, expected to sell for up to $50,000; and a Russian Cave Bear skeleton estimated at 20,000 to 25,000 years old and expected to gather bids of up to $19,000.

The pieces of dinosaur dung bound for the auction block are expected to sell for the relative bargain price of between $350 and $450, the auctioneer said.

The auction items also include a lampshade made of natural rubies, with an estimated value of between $7,000 and $9,000; a bowl carved from a single Amethyst boulder, believed to be worth $5,000 to $7,000; a petrified wood sink, estimated to be worth $1,000 to $6,000; and a still-functional teapot made of agate with an estimated value of $700-$900.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.