The 300th Anniversary of the Start of the First Kamchatka Expedition Led by Vitus Bering

Obverse

a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, above it along the rim the inscription in a semicircle ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed with paired diamonds on both sides, under the coat of arms are the chemical symbol and fineness of the metal on the left and fine metal content and the mint mark on the right, at the bottom centre in three lines are the inscription ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the coin denomination ‘3 РУБЛЯ’ (3 RUBLES), and the year of issue ‘2025 г.’ (2025).

Reverse

the ship St Gabriel on the waves against the background of a map of the route of the Kamchatka Expedition with a symbolic image of a wind rose on the right; the inscriptions: ‘БОТ СВ. ГАВРИИЛ’ (SHIP ST GABRIEL) in two lines on the left, ‘ПЕРВАЯ КАМЧАТСКАЯ ЭКСПЕДИЦИЯ В. БЕРИНГА’ (THE FIRST KAMCHATKA EXPEDITION LED BY VITUS BERING) in four lines in a cartouche at the bottom, and the dates ‘1725’ and ‘1730’ to the left and to the right of the cartouche. The images of the ship, the Russian territory, the crest of the wave, and the wind rose as well as the inscriptions and the dates are in relief. The images of the American territory, the route of the expedition, and the waves are laser treated for matte finishing.

Authors

Designer: E.V. Kramskaya (obverse, reverse).
Sculptors: A.A. Dolgopolova (obverse), A.N. Bessonov (reverse).
Mint: Saint Petersburg Mint (СПМД).
Edge: 300 corrugations.

Discover more

The second quarter of the 18th century was full of geographical discoveries. All of them were made during the First and the Second Kamchatka Expeditions, which immortalised the names of Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov. The expeditions opened new geographical horizons and laid the foundation for the scientific exploration of the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East.

On 4 February 1725 (in accordance with the Gregorian calendar), the First Kamchatka Expedition set forth from St Petersburg, marking the start of a large-scale exploration of Eurasia’s eastern lands. Bering, who headed the expedition, and his assistant Chirikov explored the Pacific coast of Kamchatka and Northeast Asia and marked it on the map. They discovered the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Ozernoy Peninsula, Kamchatka Bay, Karaginsky Gulf, Kresta Bay, Providence Bay, St Lawrence Island, and the strait that was named after Vitus Bering.

Sources: https://www.culture.ru, https://culture.gov.ru