© Albator (CC BY-NC-SA)
© Albator (CC BY-NC-SA)
Medal - Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld - Polar Exploration
1879 year| Silver clad bronze | 11.5 g | 27 mm |
| Location | Sweden |
|---|---|
| King | Oscar II (1872-1907) |
| Type | Medals › Commemorative medals |
| Year | 1879 |
| Composition | Silver clad bronze |
| Weight | 11.5 g |
| Diameter | 27 mm |
| Thickness | 2.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Updated | 2024-11-13 |
| Numista | N#378440 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 97% |
Reverse
Within a tied laurel wreath and under the radiant North Star, the four-line legend with the dates of the exploration.
Script: Latin
Lettering:
NORDOST-
PASSAGEN
FULLBORDAD
1878-79
Translation: North East Passage accomplished.
Edge
Plain
Comment
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (1832-1901)Nordenskiöld's participation in three geological expeditions to Spitsbergen, followed by longer Arctic explorations in 1867, 1870, 1872 and 1875, led him to attempt the discovery of the long-sought Northeast Passage. This he accomplished in the voyage of the SS Vega, navigating for the first time the northern coasts of Europe and Asia. Starting from Karlskrona on 22 June 1878, the Vega doubled Cape Chelyuskin in the following August, and after being frozen in at the end of September near the Bering Strait, completed the voyage successfully in the following summer. He edited a monumental record of the expedition in five volumes, and himself wrote a more popular summary in two volumes. On his return to Sweden he received an enthusiastic welcome, and in April 1880 was made a baron and a commander of the Order of the North Star.
