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MOUNT TAZERZAIT METEORITE – 2016 1 oz Silver Coin – Niger
USD 139.70
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Republic of Niger
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Product Description
MOUNT TAZERZAIT METEORITE – 2016 1 oz Silver Coin – Niger
Actual Meteorite fall was in the Republic of Niger !
In the afternoon of August 21 in 1991 a fireball, followed by a huge smoke trail and a loud explosion, terrified a young nomad in north-western desert of Niger. The boy, seventh child of his father, a member of a local nomadic Tuareg tribe, was tracking a stray goat at the foot of Mt. Tazerzait in the north-eastern Tamesna, a pleistocene gravel plain in the Republic of Niger. It was the day of his seventh birthday.
Searching for the heavenly intruder, the boy found an impact pit, and in its centre rested an enormous black rock only half buried in the bright clay soil. What a spectacular birthday gift he may have thought. The next day the boy led his brothers to the site and they estimated the weight of the rock to exceed 200 pounds. They had no means to transport such a heavy weight, so they finally decided to break the huge rock into more convenient loads. During the following days the gang hammered the meteorite into more than fifty pieces, which resulted in approximately 100 kilos of meteoritic fragments in total, the largest weighing 30 kilos.
Members of the family visited scholars and geologists in Agadez and Niamey to show the boy’s finds, but none of them believed their story or seemed to care. The knowledge of the meteorite, even though its fall had been witnessed, was about to slip into oblivion. It was not until five years later, when a young Algerian overheard the story of the meteorite’s impact being told during his stay in Tamanrasset. He managed to acquire most of the meteorite and approx 40 kg were sent to Rolf Buehler in Switzerland. Buehler organized the petrological and chemical analysis and classification of the meteorite, which was subsequently done by Prof. Juergen Otto from the University of Freiburg in Germany.
Specifications
Special Features: Real Piece of Mount Tazerzait Meteorite
Mintage: 699
Material: Pure Silver (99.99% pure)
Finish: Antique Hand Finish with color
Weight: 1 oz
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Scope of Delivery: Luxury Box
Certificate: Yes
Face Value: 1000 Francs CFA