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Coin of Nicholas 2, 1899. Silver coins of Nicholas 2
Coin of Nicholas 2, 1899. Silver coins of Nicholas 2
Anonim

In 1897, the then Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire, S. Yu. Witte, carried out a monetary reform in the country, which led to the elimination of coins of various denominations made of silver. Subsequently, the coin of Nicholas 2, or the so-called Nikolaev ruble, became the main means of payment in the state. In addition, from the indicated time and up to 1915, according to the decree regulating issue operations, the State Bank received the right to issue new banknotes backed by gold.

History of minting

It was after Witte's monetary reform that silver coins began to function as a physical means of payment attached to the recently introduced gold denomination. This circumstance could not but entail the very state monetary charter.

In early June 1899, the monarch signed a document of the new edition of the monetary charter, which stated that the Nikolaev ruble or the coins of Nicholas 2 would henceforth become the monetary unit of the Russian Empire. The silver contained in them was 18 g of this pure metal.

New Russiansilver coins played the role of an auxiliary means of payment on the territory of the Russian state, so this money was required to be accepted only in those payments where the amount did not exceed 25 units. At the same time, there was no more than 3 rubles per inhabitant of the country.

Coin of Nicholas 2
Coin of Nicholas 2

Description

The obverse of the silver coin of Nicholas 2 is surmounted by his portrait in profile, with his face turned to the left. It is framed by embossed inscriptions: on the right - "AND AUTORULE ALL-RUSSIAN", and on the left - "B. M. NICHOLAS II EMPEROR". The famous carver Anton Vasyutinsky worked on the portrait of the Russian autocrat, located on the ruble of 1899.

Usually, the reverse of coins that were in circulation on the territory of the Russian Empire, including the silver coin of Nicholas 2 of 1899, adorns the small coat of arms of the state, which depicts a crowned double-headed eagle holding the Orb and the Scepter in its paws. On the chest of the bird is a shield. It depicts St. George the Victorious. The wings of the eagle are decorated with small shields, which show the coats of arms of all the provinces that were then part of the Russian state.

Under the imperial coat of arms are large capital letters indicating the denomination of the silver coin - "RUBLE" and the year of its issue - "1899" Between the two inscriptions is a small curly asterisk.

On the edge of the coin of Nicholas 2, there is an indented inscription along the entire circumference, indicating the composition of the material from which the money is made: "PURE SILVER 4 GOLDEN 21 SHARE". In addition, there is also a sign in parenthesesminzmeister: Felix Zelemn (F. Z) or Elikum Babayants (E. B), St. Petersburg Mint. I must say that this money was minted not only in Russia, but also by special order in Belgium. Based on this, the sign of the minzmeister was absent on them, and instead there was a special designation.

Silver coins of Nicholas 2
Silver coins of Nicholas 2

Coin parameters

The diameter of the silver ruble of Emperor Nicholas 2 is 33.65 mm, its weight is 20 g, and its thickness is 2.6 mm. For its minting, metal AG900, silver 900 was used. The total circulation of the coin was more than 6.5 million copies. It is part of the Nikolai 2 series.

Coin Nicholas 2 silver
Coin Nicholas 2 silver

Special pieces

Today it is known that the silver coins of Nicholas 2 issue of 1899 have several distinctive features. These include various kinds of technical defects, for example, the lack of chasing of some individual elements of the design, the complete absence of an inscription on the edge, and the wrong position of the reverse in relation to the obverse. It is worth noting here that coins with such flaws can cost much more than ordinary copies.

Despite the fact that the Nikolaev ruble was issued in a huge circulation, coins that are in good condition are quite difficult to find. This is due to the fact that they have been in circulation for more than two decades. In this regard, the price of a well-preserved coin that has survived to this day can even exceed the cost of a gold ducat!

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