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Wednesday 18 August 2021

1988) La Ciénega , Sonora, Mexico , Cook Islands: 17th issue in the "Meteor Impact Coin Series": A $5 (Five Dollars) Silver Coin featuring a real piece of the Meteorite embedded in the Coin: Project coordinated by Coin Invest Trust (CIT): Minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt at their facilities in Munich: Year of Coin issue: 2021:

1988) La Ciénega , Sonora, Mexico , Cook Islands: 17th issue in the "Meteor Impact Coin Series": A $5 (Five Dollars) Silver Coin featuring a real piece of the Meteorite embedded in the Coin: Project coordinated by Coin Invest Trust (CIT): Minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt at their facilities in Munich: Year of Coin issue: 2021:

This is the 17th edition of the Meteorite Impacts Coin Series  (a award-winning coin series) and it is dedicated to the Ciénega Meteorite discovered by Hugo Lino in 2014, found in La Cienega, Sonora Mexico.

The Discovery:

It was a sunny day when geologist Hugo Lino was prospecting for gold near the abandoned mining community of La Ciénega in Sonora, Mexico on January 30.01.2014. He could not believe his eyes when he found a 6.1 kg (6143 grams) fusion crusted meteorite. The stone was subsequently purchased by Michael Farmer.

The meteorite stone displayed the following physical characteristics: It was a relatively fresh fusion crusted rounded stone with a few broad regmaglypts, sawn surface, largely light colored with scattered rust staining around metal grains. The metal was evenly distributed with grains to 2 mm. Chondrules difficult to recognize, with one to 4 mm.

Petrography: The stone was largely recrystallized with difficult-to-recognize chondrules, including BO, PO, and RP. Many olivine grains with planar fractures. Plagioclase were abundant and often less than 100 μm. Chromite irregularly shaped, to 600 μm. Kamacite irregularly shaped with weakly developed Neumann bands; some grains polycrystalline. 

Metal grains of tetrataenite rims and cores of dark-etching plessite or acicular kamacite common. Troilite largely single crystal and lacking shock features. Sparse metal pockets around troilite and metal. Native Cu was rare to 20 microns. Weathering was low and locally present around some kamacite grains. Many of the metal-troilite grains show complex finely intergrown textures of the two.

Classification: L6, W1, S3; Specimens: 164 g and one thin section at ASU.

The Coin:

As in the other issues in the Series, and as a signature feature, a real piece of this meteorite is embedded in this coin. 
In a series first, the meteorite is shown going into the edge of the coin as if the coin was liquid silver when the meteorite hit it. If one tilts it at just the right angle, one can see the meteorite now being an integral part of the inside of the coin.

The Reverse of the 5 Dollars Silver Coin is titled on the upper periphery "la Cienega Meteorite" and shows the meteorite striling Earth in a Cactus growing Desery landscape. On the lower periphery is inscribed the year of issue -"2021.


The Obverse of the 5 Dollars Silver Coin shows an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, whose initials "IRB" appear below the Queen's neck.

The peripheral inscriptions are - "ELIZABETH II. COOK ISLANDS. 5 DOLLARS".

The specifications of this Coin are:
Country of issue: The Cook Islands; Year: 2021; Denomination/Face Value: $5 (Five Dollars); Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 1.0 Oz or 31.107 grams; Diameter/Size: 26.00 mm; Coin Quality: Antique Finish; Mintage: 2,500 pieces; Special Technique: Smartminting® (Ultra High Relief); Presentation Box/Case: Yes; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes.





A composite Presentation of 11 "Meteor Impact Coin Series".

A personal visit to a Crater Impact Lake at Lonar, Buldhana District, Maharashtra India:

Some time ago, we had visited the Lonar Crater Lake in Maharashtra, India which was caused by a meteor strike some 50,000 odd years ago (this is only the second one of two meteor strikes in India).

We did pick up a few Meteorite stones/fragments, but did not bring them with us, leaving them in the places where we found them. Little did I realise that pieces of meteorites similar to the one that we left behind, would one day figure on Platinum-Silver coins issued by Coin Invest Trust (the Estacado meteorit strike) and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC - celebrating its 150th year of establishment). The Links to my posts on this blog on our visit to the Lonar Crater Lake and my post on the RASC milestone are given below:



3) A road trip to Lonar and Aurangabad (Revisited)



Other links to some interesting posts on Coins brought out by Coin Invest Trust on behalf of other countries including the Australian Continent:
















The 7-Summits Silver Coin Series:



Links to some other interesting posts from South American countries & Mexico:

1) The Evolution of Mexican Coinage

24) Bolivar Soberano (or "Sovereign Bolivar"), Venezuela: (2018 Series of Banknotes) introduced by Banco de National, the Central Bank of Venezuela on 20.08.2018 






Links to Posts on Curacao on this Blog:

1) Festival di Tumba (Carnival of Curacao), Curacao: "50th Edition of the Curacao Carnival/Festival" held from 27-31.01.2020: A set of six Commemorative Postage Stamps brought out by Cpost (Curacao Post) on 20.02.2020

2) Trains of South America, Curacao: Cpost International (Curacao Post) has issued a set of stamps featuring Trains of South America: Date of Stamp set issue: 21.06.2021

For some other interesting posts on Currencies of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, please visit the following links:









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