Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Mongolian People’s Republic
65th Anniversary of the Revolution
1 Tögrög
蒙古人民共和國
人民革命六十五周年
1圖格里克
Item number: A3281
Year: AD 1986
Material: Aluminium Bronze
Size: 31.8 x 31.8 x 2.5 mm
Weight: 14.9 g
Provenance: Spink 2023
This is a 1 Tögrög commemorative coin issued in AD 1986 by the Mongolian People’s Republic to mark the 65th anniversary of the victory of the People’s Revolution. The coin is composed of aluminium-bronze.
The coin has a notably thick and solid appearance. The obverse of the coin features a left-facing half-length portrait of Damdin Sükhbaatar, a key figure in initiating the revolution, depicted wearing a traditional Mongolian deel. Surrounding the portrait is the inscription in Cyrillic Mongolian: “МОНГОЛ АРДЫН ХУВЬСГАЛЫН 65 ЖИЛ”, which translates to “65th Anniversary of the Mongolian People’s Revolution.”
The reverse side of the coin features the national emblem of the Mongolian People’s Republic, specifically the fifth version used between AD 1960 and 1992, prior to the country’s transition to democracy. Although the emblem shows significant wear, many of its key details remain discernible. Reflecting Mongolia’s status during the Cold War as a member of the communist bloc and a Soviet satellite state, the emblem was heavily influenced by Soviet design.
Flanking the emblem are tied sheaves of wheat, symbolising agriculture, while the top features a red star—representing communism—and the Soyombo, a traditional symbol of Mongolia. At the bottom is a cogwheel wrapped in a ribbon, representing the working class; inscribed on the ribbon is the Cyrillic abbreviation of the country’s name: “БНМАУ” (Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, “Mongolian People’s Republic”).
At the centre of the emblem is a depiction of a Mongolian man dressed in traditional attire, riding a horse across the steppe toward a rising sun—symbolising the nation’s progress toward a bright communist future.
At the top of the emblem, the full name of the country is inscribed in Cyrillic Mongolian: “БҮГД НАЙРАМДАХ МОНГОЛ АРД УЛС” (Mongolian People’s Republic). Below the emblem is the coin’s denomination: “НЭГ ТӨГРӨГ” (1 Tögrög). The term Tögrög in Mongolian literally means “Dollar.”
The edge of the coin again bears the denomination “НЭГ ТӨГРӨГ” (1 Tögrög) in Cyrillic Mongolian, along with the dual dates “1921–1986”, indicating the year of the people revolution and the year of the coin’s issuance.
Damdin Sükhbaatar was born in AD 1893, at a time when Mongolia was still part of the Qing Empire. In AD 1911, following the Xinhai Revolution and the overthrow of the Qing imperial court by Han Chinese revolutionaries, the Mongols of Khalkha Mongolia, also known as Outer Mongolia, declared independence and established the Bogd Khanate, led by the spiritual figure Bogd Jebtsundamba Khutuktu. Following the establishment of the Bogd Khanate, Sükhbaatar joined the military, where he earned the respect and admiration of his comrades for his exemplary performance. He later took up a position at a printing press.
In AD 1919, Mongolia was successively invaded by the Beiyang government of China and by remnants of the Russian White Army following their defeat in the Russian Civil War. In response, Damdin Sükhbaatar secretly organised a resistance movement and crossed the border to seek support from the Russian Communist Party. He went on to found the Mongolian People’s Party, the first communist political organisation in Mongolia.
In AD 1921, with assistance from the Soviet Union, Sükhbaatar launched a revolution and successfully defeated the remaining White Army forces led by Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg. Following the revolution, Sükhbaatar became Minister of War, while Bogd Jebtsundamba Khutuktu was retained as a symbolic monarch.
In AD 1923, Sükhbaatar died of illness brought on by exhaustion. In his honour, the capital Khüree was renamed Ulaanbaatar, meaning “Red Hero.” The following year, in AD 1924, after the death of Bogd Khan, the Mongolian People’s Party formally declared the establishment of the Mongolian People’s Republic, making Mongolia the second communist state in the world after the Soviet Union.