RUSSIA, Tsars of Russia. Ekaterina II Velikaya (the Great), 1762-1796. Medal 1791 (Silver, 67 mm, 98.90 g, 12 h), by Leberecht and Waechter. On the Peace of Sistowa with the Ottoman Empire. Laureate bust of Catherine II to right, C.L.F. below. Rev. Russian double eagle on an oval shield leaning against a pedestal together with a map showing the northern coast of the Black Sea and Crimea; above, half moon covered by clouds. Reichel 2835. Smirnov 320. Very rare. A large and impressive medal of great historical interest. Light marks, otherwise, good very fine.


In 1783, Russia invaded the Crimean Khanate and annexed Crimea to Russia. As a result, the Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1787, resulting in a defeat of the Ottomans and the subsequent recognition of Russia's conquests of Crimea and adjacent territories on the north coast of the Black Sea.