400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OBSERVATION OF THE PLANET MARS (1609-2009)
CONTAINS A GENUINE PIECE OF THE RED PLANET
CERTIFIED BY PCGS MINT STATE 69 BROWN
COA INCLUDED
OBV: DRAPED BUST OF ELIZABETH II
REV: HEMISPHERE OF SURFACE OF MARS WITH IMBEDDED MARTIAN METEORITE
MARS, ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST POINTS OF LIGHT IN OUR SKY, HAS BEEN OBSERVED BY MAN WITH WONDER SINCE ANCIENT TIMES
THE FAMOUS ITALIAN PSYSICIST, ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMETICIAN, GALILEO GALILEI, WAS THE FIRST TO OBSERVE MARS MORE PRECISELY THROUGH HIS TELESCOPE IN 1609 AD
400 YEARS LATER, THE RED PLANET STILL FUELS THE FIRES OF OUR IMAGINATIONS
NAMED FOR THE ROMAN WAR GOD BECAUSE OF ITS REDDISH APPEARANCE (CAUSED BY RUST FROM A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF IRON OXIDE ON ITS SURFACE SOIL), MARS IS ONLY ABOUT HALF THE SIZE OF EARTH
THE MARS METEORITE STONE INSERTED INTO THIS LIMITED EDITION COIN IS AMONG THE RAREST STONES ABLE TO BE PRIVATELY OWNED WITH LESS THAN 100 KILOGRAMS KNOWN TO EXIST ON EARTH
PROBES FROM EARTH THAT HAVE OBSERVED AND LANDED ON MARS AND EXAMINED THE SOIL BROUGHT BACK GEOLOGICAL DATA WHICH CONFIRMS THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL FORMATION OF THIS METEORITE TYPE (NWA 4925 OLIVINE-PHYRIC SHERGOTTITE OF MARTIAN ORIGIN)
AT THEIR CLOSEST MEASURED DISTANCE IN 2003, THE EARTH AND MARS WERE SEPARATED BY 54.6 MILLION KILOMETERS AND AT THEIR FARTHEST (AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SUN) SUCH DISTANCE CAN REACH OVER 401 MILLION KILOMETERS
COIN CONTAINS 25 GRAMS OF .925 STERLING SILVER WITH COPPER OVERLAY
38.61 MM IN DIAMETER
PIECE HAS AN ANTIQUE FINISH
ONLY 2,500 MINTED!
