PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

MOON CRATER COPERNICUS – 2019 1 oz Pure Silver Coin with NWA 8609 Meteorite – Niue

Beautiful 1 oz Silver coin with a real meteorite, first issue of the series “Moon Crater”. The coin depicts the moon on both sides and the metorite is a real piece of the NWA 8609 found in Northwest Africa. The coin is housed in a prestigious wooden box with Certificate of Authenticity. Extremely low mintage of 686 pieces worldwide.

Moon and the meteorite NWA 8609
The Moon (Latin: Luna) is Earth’s only natural satellite. Although not the largest natural satellite in the Solar System, among the satellites of major planets it is the largest relative to the size of the object it orbits (its primary). It is the second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known (after Jupiter’s satellite Io).
The Moon is thought to have formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. Although there have been several hypotheses for its origin in the past, the current most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body.
The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth’s sky (after the Sun), as measured by illuminance on Earth’s surface. Although it can appear a very bright white, its surface is actually dark, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art, and mythology.
The Moon’s gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the slight lengthening of the day. The Moon’s current orbital distance is about thirty times the diameter of Earth, causing it to have an apparent size in the sky almost the same as that of the Sun. This allows the Moon to cover the Sun nearly precisely in total solar eclipse. This matching of apparent visual size is a coincidence. The Moon’s linear distance from Earth is currently increasing at a rate of 3.82 ± 0.07 centimetres (1.504 ± 0.028 in) per year, but this rate is not constant.

Northwest Africa 8609 (NWA 8609)
History: Purchased by Matt Morgan and Lee Morgan in 2014, reported found in Morocco.
Physical characteristics: Single stone, dark brown, irregular weathered surface. Saw cut reveals a range of light and dark mm-size clasts and mineral fragments set in a dark-gray matrix.
Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe examination of a polished mount shows a fragmental breccia of plagioclase, olivine, and pyroxene grains, also feldspathic clasts, melt clasts, and microgabbro clasts. Accessory Fe-Ni metal, ilmenite, and apatite.

SPECIFICATIONS OF COIN

Metal: 999 Fine Silver
Finish: Antique finish
Size: 38.61mm
Special Features: Real meteorite stone – meteorite NWA 8609 from the moon’s crust
Denomination: $1
Year of Issue: 2019
Max Mintage: 666
Weight: 1 oz
Country: Niue