Brenda Salveson Finds $20,000 Meteorite While Walking Dog In Lotus, California

I was lucky, blessed, good karma, Brenda Salveson told CBS 2 News in Sacramento. It was sitting there at my toes like an Easter egg.

Salveson was in a park with her children and dog in Lotus, about 45 miles northeast of Sacramento, when she discovered the pricey rock.

I had jumpy puppy in one hand and rock in another, she said.

Salveson told IBTimes she sold the meteor to a private collector affiliated with the Field Institute of Chicago.  A special display is being built for it in the museum, Salveson said. 

The meteorite Brenda Salveson found weighs 17 grams and is estimated to be 6 billion years old, according to CNET.com.

Salveson's son Tommy brought the lucky meteorite in for show and tell at school.

The reaction from his classmates?

A little freaky, Tommy said, according to CNET.

The meteor shower in Lotus has caused treasure hunters to descend on the small California town, some from as far away as Australia, the Daily Mail reported.

Lotus is in California's Gold Country, but the meteor shower, which occurred a few days ago, has treasure hunters looking for meteors.

I've been out here my third day now, said Robert Clark of Grass Valley, according to CBS 2 Sacramento. Found one piece, one gram.

And it's not just treasure hunters interested in the rocks -- scientists are intrigued as well.

We want to learn about this asteroid, said Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer and senior research scientist at the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute and the NASA Lunar Science Institute, according to the Los Angeles Times. This is scientific gold.