Imperial Frigate Admiral Essen; proof

Admiral Essen was a Russian Imperial Navy frigate launched in 1900 and named after Nikolai Ottovich von Essen, the Baltic Fleet commander who modernized Russian naval doctrine before dying of pneumonia in 1915 — weeks before he could execute plans that might have fundamentally altered Baltic operations in the First World War. The St. Petersburg Mint has issued a long-running series of proof strikes on nickel brass celebrating historic Russian warships, of which this is one entry.

Proof strikes on base-metal flans at this size tend to develop cameo contrast inconsistently. Worth examining the fields closely under raking light.