Silver Five Ounces 2015 Sikhote-Alin Meteorite, Coin from Chad - detailed information

This coin was issued in Chad.

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Sikhote-Alin Meteorite 2015 Chad 5000 Fr 5 Oz High-Relief Silver Coin

5,000 Francs, 5 Oz, .925 Silver Concave Coin with Antique Finish, Ultra-High Relief, and Genuine Meteorite Insert

LOW MINTAGE OF ONLY 500 COINS WORLDWIDE

Being the First Coin in magnificent Meteorite Art series, this innovative silver coin features a huge meteorite inset embedded into a 2.5 mm high relief! With a piece of genuine Sikhote-Alin meteorite and its impact site image on the reverse, this large 60 mm concave coin will be a worthy addition to any collection!The obverse of the coin displays the Coat of Arms of Chad: a shield with wavy lines and the sun rising over it, supported by a goat and a lion. Below the shield, there is a medal and a scroll with the national motto in French standing for “Unity, Work, Progress”; the background shows a landscape of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range. The coin comes with COA and is housed in a luxury wooden presentation box.

The Sikhote-Alin meteorite fall occurred in eastern Siberia on February 12, 1947, and it’s known as the largest witnessed meteorite shower in historical times. Since the meteorite entered the earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 31 000 miles per hour, the impact could be felt a hundred miles away. Because the meteor fell during daytime, it was observed by many eyewitnesses. The Sikhote-Alin meteorite is classified as an iron meteorite that belongs to the chemical group IIAB and with a coarse octahedrite structure. The piece embedded into this coin is whole and intact, and weighs about 3 grams.

At around 10:30 on 12 February 1947, eyewitnesses in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Primorye, Soviet Union, observed a large bolide brighter than the Sun that came out of the north and descended at an angle of about 41 degrees. The bright flash and the deafening sound of the fall were observed for 300 km around the point of impact not far from Luchegorsk and approximately 440 km northeast of Vladivostok. A smoke trail, estimated at 32 km long, remained in the sky for several hours. Though large iron meteorite falls had been witnessed previously and fragments recovered, never before in recorded history had a fall of this magnitude been observed. An estimated 70 tonnes (metric tons) of material survived the fiery passage through the atmosphere and reached the Earth. The overall size of Sikhote-Alin Meteorite was estimated at approximately 90,000 kg. A more recent estimate by Tsvetkov (and others) puts the mass at around 100,000 kg. Krinov had estimated the post-atmospheric mass of the meteoroid at some 23,000 kg.

Country:

Chad

Year:

2015

Face value:

5,000 Francs

Metal:

Silver 925/1000

Weight:

5 Troy Oz (155.5 g)

Diameter (mm):

60

Quality:

Concave, Ultra-High Relief, with Antique Finish and 3 g Genuine Meteorite Fragment Insert

Mintage (pcs):

500

Certificate:

Yes

Presentation Case:

YesA smoke trail, estimated at 32 km long, remained in the sky for several hours. A more recent estimate by Tsvetkov (and others) puts the mass at around 100,000 kg. The piece embedded into this coin is whole and intact, and weighs about 3 grams.