Russia 1 oz Palladium Ballerina BU (Random Year)

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1990 - almost a quarter century ago. The coin in question was minted just a few months before the Soviet Union fell apart. I decided to buy the coin because of the official emblem on the obverse side: CCCP which is the Russian abbrevation for "Soviet Union". It is interesting to note that the female dancer displayed on the front side is a member of the "Russian Ballet" - and not "Soviet Ballet". So even under the communistic regime, the great tradition of the Russian Ballet was respected. One unusual characteristic of the coin is that the symbol Pd for palladium as well its fineness 999 are barely visibile on the coin. One needs almost a magnifying glass in order to see it in a really fine print "Pd 999, 31,1g". As if this type information was considered unimportant under Communism. Russia is today the largest producer of Palladium in the world. It is almost certain that the metal used to produce this coin came from a Nickel mine somewhere in Siberia. To sum up, this is a highly unusual coin and I am happy for the opportunity to buy this coin in such a good quality. Thanks Apmex!