The honor of the Antarctic Continent discovery belongs to the Russian Antarctic expedition of 1819−1821 on the Vostok and Mirnyi sloops commanded by Faddei Bellingshausen (1778−1852) and Mikhail Lazarev (1788−1851). On July 16, 1819, the expedition went to sea. The Antarctic coast was actually discovered on January 28, 1820.
The results of the round-the-world expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev were considered among the most considerable events in the history of the global geographical explorations.
The stamps of the postal block provide the portraits of F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev; the margins of the block show a group of sailors against the Antarctic scenery.
In addition to the emission of the postal block, JSC Marka will produce First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Penza, Vladimir and Sevastopol, and publish an illustrated envelope.
Design Artist: I. Ulyanovsky
Face value: 50 rubles per each stamp
Block size: 124×70 mm; size of stamps in block 30×42 mm.
Quantity: 27 thousand blocks.
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