The discovery of Vesta dates back to 1807 and belongs to Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, German astronomer. Next to the dwarf planet Ceres, Vesta is the second largest object in the Asteroid Belt and the brightest one: it is visible to the naked eye from Earth. This minor planet received its name after Vesta – the ancient Roman goddess of home and hearth, and thus numerous objects on its surface, craters in particular, carry the names of famous Vestals.
The NWA 4664 meteorite embedded in the silver coin is a diogenite which belongs to HED (howardite-eucrite-diogenite) meteorites, a group of achondrite meteorites. It is believed that HED meteorites have originated from Vesta. This type of meteorites was found in Northwest Africa in around 2006.
Continuing the Solar System series, this 1 Oz silver Niue coin possesses a detailed relief image of Vesta surface on both sides including craters and rocks. Just like its predecessors in the same series, the coin has a convex shape and traditionally includes an insert of real meteorite on the reverse side. The obverse side of the coin, along with the surface image, features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II accompanied with inscriptions: the year and the country of issue, face value and metal fineness. For devoted space admirers this silver coin will surely become a perfect present, as well as a valuable investment.
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