Coins of Ivan the Terrible: description, photo

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45

The monetary reform of 1535 is one of the most important events in the history of medieval Russia. It was held under Ivan IV Vasilyevich (the Terrible), with the direct participation of his mother, Princess Elena Glinskaya. As a result of this reform, the state has established the issuance of banknotes of a single type. That is why the collection of any self-respecting numismatist should contain coins from the time of Ivan the Terrible. They will be discussed in our article.

Ivan the Terrible and his role in the history of the country

Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich had many nicknames - Titus, Smaragd, Jonah, the Terrible. The last of these names has gone down in history. But not because of the horror and bloodthirstiness of his character, as many believe. After all, in the Russian tradition of that time, the word “terrible” was primarily identified with the epithet “fair.”

Ivan the Terrible became the first Tsar of All Russia (since 1547), formally he ruled the state from 1533. Thus he was in chargeRussian state longer than anyone else in history - 50 years and 105 days.

In Russian historiography, the person of Ivan the Terrible is evaluated ambiguously. Nevertheless, it was under him that a number of important reforms were carried out (in particular, monetary and judicial). It was his army that established control over Kazan and Astrakhan, annexed Western Siberia, Bashkiria and other lands. However, the second half of his reign was overshadowed by the introduction of the oprichnina and defeats in the Livonian War.

The monetary reform of 1535 and its results

At the beginning of the 16th century, a real monetary crisis broke out in Russia. Its essence was that coins began to be accepted not at their face value, but “by weight”. In addition, cases of damage and falsification of money have become much more frequent.

The reform of 1535-1538 removed all old-style coins from circulation, including those that were cut off and damaged. They were replaced by a new banknote - a penny or "Novgorodka". This silver coin became the main unit of account in the state for many years.

By the way, there are two theories regarding the genesis of her name. According to the first, the word "penny" comes from the verb "save". The second theory is related to the image of a horseman with a spear on the coin. One way or another, the name of this currency is still used in our country (and not only in ours).

Silver coins of Ivan the Terrible have become the generally accepted equivalent of one hundredth of the ruble. By the way, it is with this historical period that the emergence ofthe popular proverb "A penny saves a ruble". It is surprisingly consonant in its content with the English saying “Take care of the penny! The pounds will take care of themselves.”

Coins of Ivan the Terrible: photos and main varieties

All banknotes of this time period are usually divided into three groups:

• Pre-reform (1533-1534).
• Coins issued before the coronation of the sovereign (1535-1547).
• Coins minted after 1547 (they can be easily distinguished by the presence of the inscription "king").

As a result of the monetary reform of Ivan the Terrible, the coins were brought to a common standard. They were minted at the mints of four Russian cities at once - Novgorod, Pskov, Tver and Moscow. So, the following varieties of them appeared in circulation:

• Kopeck (weight - 0.68 g).
• Denga (0.34 g).
• Half (0.17 g).

On the obverse of a penny, a rider with a long spear (sometimes a rider with a sword) was most often depicted. On the reverse side of such a coin, the inscription "Prince the Great" was applied. All kopecks under Ivan Vasilyevich were minted exclusively from silver. They were in circulation until the period of the first Romanovs.

Half a penny (or denga) is the most common coin of the tsarist times of Ivan the Terrible. On dengs you can find several different inscriptions at once: “Denga Tverskaya”, “Pulo Moscow” or “Ospodar”. On the front side of the pillow, a double-headed eagle was depicted - the main symbol of Russian statehood.

Pre-reformcoins

Coins, issued in 1533-1534, are presented in two main versions, which differ from each other in the weapon of the depicted rider. It can be either a spear or a saber carried overhead. In any case, pre-reform coins are rare, and therefore their prices are relatively high.

It is curious that for the manufacture of these coins, as a rule, imported silver was used (due to the lack of own reserves of this metal). According to historians, European thalers were melted down for these purposes. Moreover, the melt was purified to a very high 960th sample. The coins turned out to be not very beautiful and neat, so the people called them "scales".

A distinctive feature of the pre-reform coins of Ivan the Terrible is their variable weight (range from 0.36 to 0.45 grams).

Coins from 1535-1547

The reform of Elena Glinskaya provided for a downward change in the weight of all existing coins. That is, in modern terms, there was a devaluation of the currency. At the same time, the Russian monetary unit lost about 15% in value. Nevertheless, a unified system of banknotes contributed to strengthening the financial power of the state.

An interesting instance of this time period is the so-called “nameless kopeck” weighing 0.68 g. Here, first of all, the inscription on the reverse of the coin attracts attention: “KNZ GREAT GDR OF ALL RUSSIA”. So, some words from it did not fit line by line. Sothe letter "I" moved to the next line to the word "GDR". At the same time, the letter "D" in it for some reason looks more like an "O". As a result, a completely inappropriate name "Igor" is obtained. This is how this coin is called among numismatists.

Coins of Ivan the Terrible during his reign

The coronation of Ivan Vasilyevich took place in 1547. This event meant the inevitability of marking the new title of the sovereign on the monetary units. Thus, on all coins issued after 1547, we see the laconic inscription "KING".

One of the rarest coins of this period is the Novgorod kopeck with the initials GA under the rider. By the way, if we carefully examine the numismatic catalogs, we can draw one curious conclusion: the figure of the rider differs markedly in different specimens. So, on the same "penny" the sovereign's beard can differ significantly in its density. Numismatists counted at least a dozen different variations of the Novgorod coin of this period.

For more information about the coins of Ivan the Terrible, see the following video:

Coin value

If you plan to seriously collect these banknotes, we recommend that you get one of the existing thematic catalogs. Coins of Ivan the Terrible, for example, are excellently presented in the numismatic catalog of I. V. Grishin and V. N. Kleshchinov. In it, in particular, the degree of occurrence of a particular coin is noted, which will help you determine how valuablespecific instance.

The average cost of most of the coins of Ivan the Terrible varies from 120 to 700 rubles (depending on the state and degree of preservation). But there are also more expensive ones.

So, for example, half pieces produced at the Pskov Mint are highly valued. The collection value of one such coin today reaches 30 thousand rubles. No less valuable is the denga minted in Tver - about 20 thousand rubles. But the most expensive coin of this period is considered to be a penny with the image of a spearman and the inscription "Tsar and Grand Duke", issued in Pskov or Novgorod. Today it is extremely rare and costs about 70,000 rubles.