The English Embankment in St. Petersburg

Obverse

in the center — the Emblem of the Bank of Russia (the two headed eagle designed by I.Bilibin), the letters under it indicate the metal sign, the fineness, the mint trademark and the fine metal content. The inscriptions along the rim framed by a circle of dots: at the top — «150 РУБЛЕЙ 1993 г.» (150 RUBLES 1993), at the bottom — "БАНК РОССИИ" (BANK OF RUSSIA).

Reverse

the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva" and two boats against the background of the house of Russian State Chancellor Count Nikolai Rumyantsev on the English Embankment of the Neva River in St. Petersburg. The inscriptions along the rim: at the top — "ПЕРВОЕ РУССКОЕ КРУГОСВЕТНОЕ ПУТЕШЕСТВИЕ 1803-1806" (THE FIRST RUSSIAN VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD 1803-1806), at the bottom — "АНГЛИЙСКАЯ НАБЕРЕЖНАЯ" (THE ENGLISH EMBANKMENT).

Authors

The artist: A.V. Baklanov
The sculptor: I.S. Komshilov
Leningrad Mint (ЛМД)
The edge: 240 corrugations

The first Russian voyage around the globe took place in 1803-1806 with the purpose of establishing trade contacts with China and Japan and finding routes to ship cargoes to the Russian possessions in North America and the Far East. Putting out from Kronstadt, the "Nadezhda", commanded by Admiral Ivan Krusenstern (1770-1846), who led the expedition, and the "Neva", commanded by Captain Yuri Lisyansky (1773-1837), doubled Cape Horn and reached the northern Pacific. A part of the route the ships went by separate ways. Both travellers compiled detailed accounts of the voyage and atlases. They are immortalised in geographical names. The bold voyage was enthusiastically supported by Russia's State Chancellor Count Nikolai Rumyantsev.