Russia 1991 30th Anniversary 1st Man in Space 3 Rubles Silver Prf. WithCosmo Medal
Russia won the first manned race into space by launching cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into orbit in April 1961. He circumvented the globe in 108 minutes before re-entering the atmosphere, ejecting from his spacecraft at 23,000 feet over Kazakhstan, and parachuting safely to Earth. A man of little formal education, but widely popular with his aviator peers, Gagarin had risen to astronaut status from a farm family that had been brutalized by the WW II German invasion, becoming both a national and folk hero. The whole nation was shaken when he was killed in a MiG-15 crash of uncertain causes in 1968. 900 silver commemorative coin celebrates the first orbital flight.
The non-precious metal coin shows Gagarin in flight helmet and the spacecraft itself. The two coins come in the mint box, providing an extraordinarily rare opportunity for collectors.