Russian coins

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5 ruble gold coin from 1899 - half-imperial

Russian coins are coins that were minted in Russia and its provinces (governorates). They have a rich history and are often distinguished by their special artistic design in the higher denominations. The small copper coins of the early 18th century, on the other hand, are quite coarse in their images (obverse and reverse) compared to contemporary Western European coins.

history

The first Russian gold coin , the Zlatnik - also Zolotnik or Solotnik for "golden", represented the Grand Duke Vladimir and was in circulation from the end of the 10th to the beginning of the 11th century. The weight of this coin, today around 4.2658 grams, later served as the basis for the old Russian weight unit zolotnik , which was used especially for precious metals such as gold and silver until around 1920. At the same time, it was also a measure of the rough and fine weight ratios in coin alloys.

A zolotnik was divided into 96 parts (dolja). Later, the weight of coins that contained precious metals as fineness was measured in dolja (about 0.0444 g) of these precious metals. There is certainly a parallel here to the old German weights and proportions - such as plumb bob for silver and carat for gold.

Example as weight

Russian: one zolotnik = 96 dolja (equivalent to 4.2657543 g)

German: one fine mark = 16 lots = 24 carats (equivalent to 233.8555 g in Prussia )

Example as a ratio

Russian: a Zolotnik = 96 Dolja (corresponds to 100% fine)

German: (one fine mark =) 16 lot = 24 carat (corresponds to 100% fine)

48 Dolja thus corresponded to 8-solder silver in Germany, i.e. a 50% silver alloy , but only to be understood here as a relative indication of fineness.

In the 1920s , Russia and the Soviet Union switched to the metric weight “ gram ” and the ratio “ per mille ” for coin alloys.

For further detailed historical details see especially under the denominations ruble , kopeck and denga .

An overview of the most important Russian coin denominations

1 gold imperial = 1 Chervonetz (from 1921) = 10 (previously also 15) silver rubles

1 Rubel = 2 Poltina = 4 Tschetwertak Griwenniki = 10 = 20 = Pjatak 100 Kopecks = 200 denga = 400 Poluschka

literature

  • René Frank : Palladium Coins Catalog 2007 , Vienna 2006, ISBN 3-9501620-7-0 . All Russian palladium coins are included in the catalog
  • WW Usdenikow : Monety Rossii , ISBN 9785876130013 . Russian coins 1700–1917
  • Iwan Georgewitsch Spasski: The Russian coin system , transpress Verlag für Verkehrwesen Berlin 1983

See also

Web links