50th Anniversary Apollo XIII Mission Golden Proof Coin

John F. Kennedy’s dream of placing a man on the moon and retuning him safely was one of the greatest achievement of the human race. As we celebrated Apollo 11’s fulfilment of his dream, we lost sight of the potential dangers of space exploration. The most inhospitable environment known to mankind, the lure of space remains a tantalisingly potent one, along all the dangers of space flight. The crew of Apollo 13 discovered all too soon that being stranded in the depths of space, hundreds of thousands of miles away from help meant that they could only rely on their wits, their determination and each other for survival. Here on Earth, billions of people sat entranced through the television coverage. What began as a routine space mission, ended as a riveting drama that, fortunately, had a happy ending. As James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise emerged from their capsule, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. But never again would we take a manned space mission for granted. The “50th Anniversary Apollo XIII Mission Golden Proof Coin” is a celebration of their survival and the importance of their mission. In the gleam of layered pure 24-carat gold, the coin reveals the mission motto, “Ex Luna, scientia” (From the Moon, knowledge). This edition is one of a kind and is exclusive to The Bradford Exchange.

The portrait of the Greek god Apollo, as the sun, thundering across the heavens, was chosen by the crew of Apollo 13 as a fitting symbol of their mission. In hindsight, it can also been seen as the vaulting triumph of their survival. Rich in the fine detail that is the hallmark of the artisans of The Commonwealth Mint, the design has an uplifting quality so revealing of the courage of those early NASA astronauts. The moon is rendered in precious rhodium-platinum as a shining contrast to the richness of the 24-carat gold. The mission motto and the mission insignia are given a context with the inclusion of the date and mission name. A forever reminder of those four days in 1970 when the world stood still wondering whether each new minute would bring hope or utter despair. 50 years on, that mission loses none of the power to move us. Now it is so poignantly realised in an heirloom Proof coin of irreproachable quality and artistry.

Impressive is the only way to describe this coin. At 65mm in diameter and weighing 110 grams, coins of such proportions are struck to mark occasions of great importance. Minted to Proof standards, the highest possible quality, it is entirely layered with pure 24-carat gold, creating a coin that is simply without parallel. The technical complexities of striking at such a large diameter ensures that the worldwide mintage has been set remarkably low, at just 599. This means that each one of these limited edition coins has a rarity value in addition to its collectability, which would usually push the release price too high for most people. Strong demand is expect so don’t delay, order yours now!

Features

This 50th Anniversary Apollo XIII Mission Golden Proof Coin exclusive to The Bradford Exchange features: