In all probability you know about the 2006 silver Proof Palau 5 Dollar coin that contains an authentic piece of a Nantan Meteorite. One side of the coin includes a small embedded piece of this famed meteorite and pictures a farmer plowing his field by oxen with meteors streaming overhead. The other side features the Palau arms. This image is courtesy of Joel's Coins: http://www.joelscoins.com/oops.htm Scroll down to the third image The Nantan meteorite fall was witnessed in May of the year 1516 during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Zhengde by thousands of people. Now here's somethings you may not know: Most meteorites discovered on earth, were found by accident. No one witnessed the fall or shower. The main composition of the Nantan meteorites is 92.35% iron and 6.96% nickel. Another private company minted a token/coin with a small piece of the Campo-del-Cielo meteorite which landed in Gran Chaco Gualamaba, Chaco, Argentina and dated 1576.(Probably minted in 2005) Here's an image:and more info: http://cgi.ebay.com/Limited-edition-Campo-del-Cielo-METEORITE-Coin_W0QQitemZ200106039996QQihZ010QQcategoryZ3454QQcmdZViewItem And here's a $10.00 silver coin with a piece of a metiorite from Liberia minted in 2004:by the National Bank of Liberia: http://cgi.ebay.com/2004-Liberia-Silver-10-NWA-267-Meteorite-Coin-Gibeon_W0QQitemZ320110893718QQihZ011QQcategoryZ3239QQcmdZViewItem The Nantan meteorites were sptead over an area measuring over 27 kilometers long by 8 kilometers wide. So many fell that specimens can still be found today. There are Chinese historians who claim that during the "Great Leap Forward" year (1958) many meteorites were garnered by the government and used to strike business-strike coins. Some of those historians also claim during the early days of Chinese coinage, a lot of early iton Cash coins were made from meteorites and they were referred to as God's Money. Most firms who sell meteorites have Nantan specimens for sale. China wasn't the only country to make coins out of meteorites: Some historians believe that the iron coins minted during the reign of Augustus Elagabalus (218-222 A.D.) were from meteorites: The following link is to Midwest Meteorites: http://www.meteorman.org/Meteorite_Coin.htm Clinker
i cant find it, but i thought Canada also issue a coin with a metorite piece imbedded in it .... very interesting piece clinker!!1 thanks
Daggarjon Not either of the Royal Canadian Mints , but a private mint in Canada did. I tried to find out the name of the private mint and the year they minted it, but no luck (I think they used pieces from a Nantan meteorite too). Clinker
that could be. i dont follow Canadien numismatics, but ocaisionaly i will see one of their issues in coin mags. I am not sute if it was official or not,so what you found could be what i read about.
GREAT trivia.....AGAIN....Clinker!!! That information is outstanding! Very interesting! I really like to read your "stuff"!! I'm getting my metal detector out of the closet right now!! Thank you Clinker!! I do believe that you've out done yourself this time!! Thanks again!! swick The "links" are VERY interesting also!!
Swick: Hey, what detector do you use? I'm using the White's DFX right now. Just got back from Arizona from a Convention (detecting) and organized hunt.
Thanks for the interesting trivia, Clinker. Of the several meteorite types that are commonly found, the Nantan group are iron meteorites, in that they are relatively high iron and very little of other elements, besides the nickel.
acanthite YES!...AND high iron meteorites deteriorate faster than other types, therefore, besides being plentiful, the reason they are cheaper, thus more available for other ptojects... Clinker
