"Out Of This World" HAH 280 Meteorite Antiqued Silver Coin Released

Issued by Coin Invest Trust, who has brought us such innovative and highly sought-after collector coins as the Tiffany Art Glass 2oz Silver Coin Series, the 2010 $5 Barack Obama & Martin Luther King Silver Coin Pair and 2009 $1 Lucky Star Gold Coin, this uniquely eye-catching antiqued silver coin has been struck in honour of the HAH 280 Meteorite - thought to be one of the sources of life on Earth.


Cook Islands 2010 $5 HAH 280 Meteorite Antique Silver Coin

Discovered by a meteorite hunter in 2000 in Jabal al Gharb in the Hammadah al Hamra region in Libya, Hammadah al Hamra 280 (HAH 280 - the 280 stands for the number of catalogued meteorites found in this area) is a carbonaceous chondrite and is classified in the very rare CK4 group. Meteorites in the CK group are named for Karoonda, a meteorite that fell in Australia in 1930. There are only about 20 different CK members known to have fallen to earth, in places such as Africa and Antarctica. Up to 220 amino acids (the basis on which proteins are formed) exist in these amazing minerals and it is from this that the key to life on this earth is believed to originate.

Adding value to this already superb release is the inclusion of an actual original fragment taken from the HAH 280 meteorite, embedded in the reverse side of the coin! The coin celebrates the 10th anniversary of this historic find, and while it is unknown exactly when it fell to Earth, dating suggests that the HAH 280 meteorite is around 700 million years older than our already 4.5 billion year old solar system. Forming a truly unique collector item, there is only known to be 30 kilograms of HAH 280 meteorite in existence, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Featured on the reverse is a design depicting a primordial solar nebula, a stunning phenomenon similar to that of where the HAH 280 Meteorite is believed to have originated. Enhanced with dazzling, electric colours, this central design is framed by a silver struck depiction of meteorites in space and the meteorite fragment embedded in the top left. Around the rim of the coin is inscribed "THE HAH 280 METEORITE" at top, and "CHALLENGE OF TIME - 2010 MINUS 5,200,000,000 YEARS" AT BOTTOM. The obverse carries the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with country of issue and face value inscribed around the rim.

Each 2010 $5 HAH 280 Meteorite Antique Silver Coin has been issued by the authority of the Cook Islands and consists of 25 grams of 92.5% sterling silver across a 38.61mm flan. Only 2,500 of these coins, struck in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, have been released world-wide, and following on from swift mint sell-outs of both the 2009 $5 Mars Copper Plated Antiqued Silver Coin and 2009 $5 Fly Me To The Moon Silver Coin, it was no surprise that this coin also sold out at Coin Invest Trust at rapid speed.



The 2010 $5 HAH 280 Meteorite Antique Silver Coin is encapsulated and presented in a beautifully designed tin.