On the obverse of the coin, at the top of a semicircle is the inscription UKRAINE, under which the small State Emblem of Ukraine, in the center is a stylized composition: books are made up on the background of the newspaper pages and the globe is placed on them; inscriptions on the right: 2 / HRIVNY / 2017, the logo of the Mint of the National Bank of Ukraine.
Dedicated to a public figure, historian, archeographer, ethnographer, folklorist, writer and publicist. Kostomarov was a member of many scientific institutions, was the ideologist of the society `Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood`, the author of his program document` The Book of Life of the Ukrainian People`, defended the right to independent and free development of the Ukrainian language and literature. His literary legacy consists of dozens of volumes of poetry, narratives, short stories, scientific journalistic and polemical articles.