The first coin we’re looking at is the most unusual. The only one of the four here not to have space as its theme, it’s also the only coin to be made of actual meteorite itself. Only the second time we’ve ever seen this – the first being its own forebear, the coin is struck using blanks sliced from actual Muonionalusta meteorite.

Impacting in what is now northern Scandinavia, but a million years ago, the first fragment discovered was found in 1906 and named after the nearby Muono river by Professor A. G. Högbom four years later. Around forty pieces of this iron octahedrite meteorite are known today, and further investigation has placed its age at around 4.57 billion years – the oldest known. For context, that’s 70 times further back in time than the age of Tyrannosaurus Rex!

The coin has taken an epic early 13th century German poem called Nibelungenlied (The Song of the Nibelungs) as its inspiration. What’s the connection, you may ask. A meteorite is a major element in the story. The heroes, Siegfried and Brunhild, follow a falling star and end up with a weapon forged from the unearthly material. There’s a lot more to the story, but the link is pretty clear and logical.

Struck in an ounce of material, it apes a standard coin in every significant way, with even the coloured image of the heroes looking just as it would on a silver coin. The pattern in the material is quite beautiful and is called the Widmanstätten pattern, consisting of a fine interleaving of kamacite and taenite bands or ribbons called lamellae. Quite unique in the numismatic world.

Just 818 of these will be made and they come in a wooden box with a certificate of authenticity. Definitely the oddball choice here, and we love it for that reason.