10 Roubles Zair Azgur

Zair Azgur was the most decorated sculptor in Soviet Belarusian history, responsible for portraits of Stalin, Lenin, and virtually every major figure the regime required immortalized in bronze or marble. His Minsk studio, where he worked for decades, was preserved after his death in 1995 and still functions as a museum. This coin belongs to Belarus's long-running "Outstanding People of Belarus" bullion and collector series, which the National Bank launched in the early 2000s to assert a distinct cultural identity through numismatic portraiture — an irony not lost on those familiar with how thoroughly Azgur's career was shaped by Soviet demand.