Russian commemorative medallion

Russian commemorative medallion

Explorers of nationalities other than Dutch, English and French played minor roles in the country’s discovery. Alessandro Malaspina, an Italian in command of a Spanish expedition, explored Doubtful Sound in 1793; and in 1820 Fabian von Bellingshausen used Queen Charlotte Sound as a base on a Russian expedition exploring the southern polar waters. This medallion was issued to commemorate von Bellingshausen’s Antarctic expedition and shows two sailing ships, with penguins on an ice-flow in the foreground.