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It is really a special case when an asteroid, which has essentially nothing special gets its own medal. Yet it happened.

seleucus obverse

Hans-Emil Schuster German astronomer discovered the number 3288 asteroid on 28 February 1982. This celestial body belongs to the Amor-type asteroids family. These minor planets are revolving in the space between the orbits of Mars and the Earth, that is sometimes they can approach the Earth. Because of their orbits never cross that of Earth, impact - neither now nor in the future - will be possible. Why an asteroid that cannot strike the Earth and that is usually so dim that even with amateur telescopes cannot be detected is so interesting? We will try to answer this question at the end of the article, but first let's see the medal.

On the obverse of the medal hemispheres and waves can be observed. Among these starting from the left and then turning upwards a track emerges with legend: "SELEUCUS" so this is the asteroid's orbit around the Sun. On the right side the asteroid's namesake Seleucus I. Seleucid ruler's portrait can be found. The medalist was Victor Huster, whose signature is shown at approx. 10 hours on the picture.

seleucus reverse

The reverse of the coin is very interesting also; we could call it to the birth of science. In the middle of the coin is in small print, but readable text: "UNIVERSITAT BOCHUM". The medal is made of silver, which is also marked by fineness: 999. Its diameter is 37 mm and weighs 45 grams. The obverse and reverse together gives the answer to what is special about this asteroid. 

Hans-Emil Schuster is an astronomer in Bochum - although the discovery was performed in the European Southern Observatory in Chile - the Bochum researchers suggested in 1985 the name Seleucus. The occasion came in handy to the Ministry of Science and Research of North Rhine-Westphalia, to enrich the numismatic collections of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum with a spectacular coin of Seleucus I., the Seleucid monarch. In the Stadtsparkasse of Bochum an interdisciplinary - philology, history, numismatics, archaeological and astronomical point of view - exhibition was arranged which got the title "Seleukos - Ein König und ein Stern" (Seleukos - a king and a star). Along with this event took place the issue of the medal.

From the medal, its background a short article written by Frank Berger can be read in the March 1987 issue of the Geldgeschichtliche Nachrichten, at page 100. The links below can help you get to the website of the medal's maker.