In bronze, measures 65.1 mm wide; weighs 139.0 g. The obverse features a bas-relief portrait of the "Iron" Feliks Dzerzhinsky, the founder of Soviet secret police. On the reverse is his facsimile signature and years of his life, 1877-1926.

In excellent condition. The medal is completely free of noticeable wear. The details of the bas-relief are exceptionally crisp. Very attractive even dark patina to the brass throughout.

The artwork was designed by the medallist L.M. Belokurov. The medal was struck at the Moscow Mint in 1960 and had a rather limited circulation of 1316 specimens. It was the second Feliks Dzerzhinsky commemorative table medal issued by a Soviet mint; the first one, created by N. A. Sokolov, was struck at the Leningrad Mint in 1926 immediately after Dzerzhinsky's death. Incidentally, the latter was one of the first Soviet table medals ever created - which goes to show the importance of "Iron Feliks" in the Soviet hierarchy. It was however the later bas-relief image by Belokurov that was found particularly becoming. The same portrait later appeared on numerous bas-reliefs, memorial plaques and other table medals. It essentially became the officially sanctioned portrait of Dzerzhinsky, and in the imagination of an average Soviet citizen, it represented how Dzerzhinsky looked in real life - no matter how idealized or distant from reality the image actually was.

/Commemorative [Table] Medals of the Soviet Period, 1919-1991, fig. 183/.

Please note, penny in our photo is for size reference.