Constantine ruble
The Constantine Ruble (Russian Константиновский рубль) is the rarest Russian coin .
The Constantine Ruble is a Russian test ruble from 1825 with the head image of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. The Grand Duke is the oldest brother and actual successor of Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825). The ruble was to be minted in the St. Petersburg mint. The occasion was the proclamation of Konstantin Pawlowitsch Romanov as emperor on December 9, 1825, although he had previously renounced his successor and did not ascend the throne. The renunciation of the throne was based on a secret family contract from 1819. After this became known, the coinage was stopped immediately after the trial coupons .
The coin dies were cut by the medalist Jakob Jakoblewitsch Reichel (1778–1856).
There are five known examples with an embossed edge and three with a smooth edge. The ruble is made of silver and weighs 20.73 grams.
One copy of the coin is in the Moscow History Museum , one in the St. Petersburg Hermitage and one in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington . The remaining copies are in private hands.
In January 2004, the ruble fetched 603,750 US dollars (including buyer's premium) at auction in New York.
literature
- И. Г. Спасский: По следам одной редкой монеты . Moscow 1964. (Ivan G. Spasski: On the trail of a precious coin )
- K. Harke: The Constantine Ruble . In: Numismatic Contributions 1970 / II
- Helmut Kahnt: The large lexicon of coins from A to Z , Regenstauf 2005
Web links
- The Constantine Ruble - New Findings (Russian)