Silver Ounce 2007 Soviet Space - Gagarin, Coin from Mongolia - detailed information

The currency of Mongolia since 1925 has been the tögrög, which currently circulates mostly as banknotes due to the low value of earlier coins and the reluctance of the government to issue large denomination coins; however, the government has authorises many non-circulating legal tender (NCLT) coins to be issued for collector's purposes.

Collector coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes and are often not related to the country itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, including the internationally popular one ounce of silver format.

This coin is part of the Soviet Space series and commemorates Yuri Gagarin.

Yuri Gagarin (Юрий Гагарин; 1934 - 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. Travelling in the Vostok 1 capsule, Gagarin completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961. By achieving this major milestone in the Space Race he became an international celebrity, and was awarded many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, his nation's highest honour.

Vostok 1 was Gagarin's only spaceflight, but he served as the backup crew to the Soyuz 1 mission, which ended in a fatal crash, killing his friend and fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. Fearful that a national hero might be killed, Soviet officials banned Gagarin from further spaceflights. After completing training at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy in February 1968, he was again allowed to fly regular aircraft. Gagarin died five weeks later when the MiG-15 training jet he was piloting with flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin crashed near the town of Kirzhach.