It was introduced as a live-event / tournament prize, not through normal production, LP stores, drops, or the market.
The commonly cited history is:
In YC105 / 2003, during the Amarr Championship / Amarr Succession Championship, four Armageddon Imperial Issues were awarded to the teams that reached the final rounds. It was basically a prestige prize tied to Amarr Empire succession lore. (Gitea: Git with a cup of tea)
Later, CCP also publicized an Imperial Issue Armageddon being given away through the BIG Lottery, which was a major old player-run lottery event. (EVE Universe)
So the practical answer is: it entered the game as a CCP-issued special prize ship from early EVE live-event/tournament history. It is not something players can build or normally obtain.
Who are you talking to?
I don’t know if he won it in the lottery or purchased it later.
The character he posted on wasn’t around in 2003, but he may have an older alt/main.
The Big Lottery
The BIG lottery, a bi-weekly event held by BIG corporation, is proud to announce their second best prize ever! This highly coveted item, the Imperial Issue Armageddon, will be handed out to the winner of the forty-second Lottery. The winner of the lottery will be announced Monday, the 20nd of December. At this time, a remarkably small amount of tickets have been sold, increasing the win chances of any that choose to participate drastically.
The Imperial Issue Armageddon was donated by WarHound of PAK, who won it in the Amarr Championships that took place last year. Although Warhound and his team, who were representing House Kador, were not blessed with victory, their leader received an Imperial Issue Armageddon for his teams’ efforts and their fighting prowess. The ship itself is a marvel of technology; Amarr’s finest engineers were involved in the creation of this vessel. As a result, it is of immeasurable spiritual value to the Amarr, and of immeasurable monetary value to all others. In the words of WarHound himself:
" To any Amarr loyalist, this ship is of infinite value, both material and spiritual. But I am no such man. What good is a trophy ship to a pirate? Credits are my life, my passion, and everything has its price "
The Lottery itself is restricted to 5000 tickets per person. Buying a ticket costs 1000 isks per item purchased, which is done by sending the money to the individual BIG Games. More information, including how to view the amount of tickets you currently hold and the closing date, can be found on the BIG Lottery page.