Platinum ruble
Platinum rubles were minted and issued in the Russian Empire from 1828 to 1845 under Tsar Nicholas I. They consist of around 97% of the precious metal platinum and are considered the first platinum coins worldwide.
During this period there were three different denominations of coins made from the precious metal: 3 rubles (1828–45), 6 rubles (1829–45) and 12 rubles (1830–45).
Russian traders did not appreciate platinum coins and willingly exchanged them for gold coins. For the traders from the west, who could sell the platinum rubles dearly, this exchange was good business.
When the sensible use of the precious metal for industry was discovered in Russia, the platinum coins were suspended and the owners asked to return their coins to the St. Petersburg Mint .
Nowadays these coins are very rare, as around 75% of the total mintage was melted down. A copy can be viewed in the Geosammlung of the Clausthal University of Technology .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Willy Fuchs: 250 years of platinum coinage . MDM, Braunschweig 1991, ISBN 3-927286-07-9 , pp. 7 ( limited preview in Google Book search).