In solid bronze, measuring 65 mm wide, 5.6 mm thick between the highest points on either side, and weighing 138 g. Manufactured at the Moscow Mint. The medal was issued in 1960, only 1098 pieces struck, a very low number for an event of this magnitude. The artwork by V. Akimushkina monumentalizes the historic flight of the Soveit Luna-3 spacecraft which took the first ever photograph of the dark side of the Moon, an immensely significant milestone in the early stages of space exploration that reaffirmed the supremacy of the Soviet Union in it.

The obverse presents a duo of

In solid bronze, measuring 65 mm wide, 5.6 mm thick between the highest points on either side, and weighing 138 g. Manufactured at the Moscow Mint. The medal was issued in 1960, only 1098 pieces struck, a very low number for an event of this magnitude. The artwork by V. Akimushkina monumentalizes the historic flight of the Soveit Luna-3 spacecraft which took the first ever photograph of the dark side of the Moon, an immensely significant milestone in the early stages of space exploration that reaffirmed the supremacy of the Soviet Union in it.

The obverse presents a duo of a young man and a woman on a pedestal of sorts, admiring the site of a rocket rising into the sky, with a group of revelers in the background celebrating the event with festive banners. The reverse has a bas-relief rendition of the photo of the far side of the Moon, surrounded by the inscription reading "In the name of peace and progress, USSR".

In excellent condition, no significant wear or damage of any kind visible to the naked eye.

/Commemorative [Table] Medal of the Soviet Period, 1919 - 1991, by A. Shkurko and A. Salykov, fig. 212/.

Please note that the penny in our photo is for size reference.
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