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Gold, silver and copper coins of Catherine II. Photo and value
Gold, silver and copper coins of Catherine II. Photo and value
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Various museums and numismatist collectors dream of getting into their collections the coins of Catherine II, which are a kind of thread connecting us with that distant time when this great empress was on the throne. During her reign, reforms and transformations touched all spheres of life, which led to the flourishing of science and art. Significant changes also affected the minting of money. The Empress always kept under special control issues related to the issuance of new gold, silver and copper coins. Many unique copies of coins of that time have come down to our time. Some of them are in excellent condition and are of great value, being the pride and admiration of numismatists from all over the world.

Gold coins of Catherine 2

They are by far the most valuable among others. Most of the gold coins are minted at the mint in St. Petersburg. Historians have information about the issue of these banknotesthe following denomination: 2, 5, 10 rubles, 1 ruble, chervonets, half a ruble.

Ekaterina II's gold coins were not in use by ordinary people, but were distributed exclusively within the courtyard.

Catherine's coins 2 photo
Catherine's coins 2 photo

The material of ten-rouble notes of 1762 and 1763 was 917 gold. The weight of each copy was more than 16 grams. One of the sides was necessarily decorated with a portrait of Catherine herself (fashion designer T. Ivanov), on the other side was a coat of arms. It should be noted that the image of the profile of the empress on the gold coins was edited several times: on some copies, the empress is depicted with a scarf, while on others this item of clothing is missing.

If we talk about the cost, ten-ruble coins are the most expensive. The cost of some copies can reach 200 thousand dollars.

Silver coins

The silver coins of Catherine the 2nd (see photo below) were widely distributed. Mints minted them in large numbers. It is known about the presence in that period of 10, 20, 15 kopecks, half a fifty dollars, fifty dollars, a ruble made of silver. The obverse adorned the profile of the bust of Catherine II, which is also found on the gold coins described above. Only on the ruble of 1775 was another portrait of the Empress, made by V. Klimov.

types of coins of Catherine 2
types of coins of Catherine 2

Siberian coin: 10 kopecks

This copper coin is strikingly different from its own kind. Its peculiarity lies primarily in the quality of the copper from which it was made. It was mined in the Kolyvanskymine, namely, in the copper found there, impurities of gold and silver were present. At that time, it was not yet possible to extract these impurities from the base metal. Such copper had its own abbreviation - KM. The issue of these 10-kopeck coins was carried out from 1766 to 1781, until all deposits were depleted in the Kolyvan mine.

Siberian 10 kopecks were distributed only on its territory. On one of the sides there was an image of the coat of arms of Siberia (two sables near the shield). To date, the cost of Siberian copper coins varies from 100 to 600 dollars.

Catherine's coins 2
Catherine's coins 2

Sestroretsk rubles

Such coins of Catherine II as Sestroretsk rubles were minted in order to provide paper banknotes. Their production began in 1770. The weight of a coin with a face value of one ruble was 1 kg, and these banknotes were produced at the Sestroretsk arms factory. The material for making coins was the copper barrels of old weapons. When Catherine 2 issued a decree on the production of such coins, she had no idea how long and laborious the processes of grinding and creating blanks would be. When this became clear, the unusual undertaking had to be abandoned. But the surviving test specimens have survived to this day. The cost of the Sestroretsk ruble can reach 50 thousand dollars.

There are other varieties of coins of Catherine II, which keep the memory of the reign of this great empress. With their features, individual design and unusual history of origin, they givean idea of life in those distant times.

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