In brass; 32.1 mm wide; weighs 16.8 g without the suspension and connecting link. Variation with a mint-marked eyelet (the mint mark, struck on the reverse side of the eyelet, reads ЛМД ["LMD", for Leningrad Mint].)

In excellent condition. The details are perfect and crisp on both sides. There is just a tiny amount of very light tarnish on the obverse that adds character, no significant blemishes or oxidation spots. The original "gilt" mint luster (the shiny surface left after the medal was struck at the mint) is strong and bright in recessed areas on both sides. The medal comes on aluminum suspension with a perfectly preserved, clean old ribbon.

The Medal for the Construction of the Baikal - Amur Railroad is a historically significant award because the railroad provided access to strategically important natural resources of the Soviet Far East. It was built over many decades starting from the early 1930s. Initially, the construction was done mostly by slave prison labor but starting from the 60s, it increasingly utilized hired laborers, many of them seasonal workers such as college students, as well as military construction troops. During the 1960s, the project acquired additional military importance as Soviet relationship with Communist China deteriorated to the point of military confrontation. The main railroad line, typically referred to by its acronym BAM, was located far from the Chinese border and unlike the old Trans-Siberian railroad, was therefore far less vulnerable to a Chinese attack. In 1974, it was declared a "Shock Project of Komsomol (Communist Youth League)", and great resources were allocated to it eventually making it the most expensive USSR infrastructure project of all time. The main portion of the railroad was completed in 1984 to great fanfare, but the construction of some of its parts continued for many years afterwards.