Assignation ruble. The first paper money of Russia

In the treasury (since all payments, especially with foreign suppliers, were carried out exclusively in silver and gold coins). The shortage of silver and the huge amounts of copper money in domestic trade turnover led to the fact that large payments were extremely difficult to make. Thus, the district treasuries were forced to equip entire expeditions when collecting poll taxes, since a separate supply was required to transport, on average, every 500 rubles of tax. All this necessitated the introduction of certain government obligations, a kind of bills of exchange for large payments.

The first attempt to introduce banknotes was made by Peter III, who signed on May 25 (June 5) a decree establishing a state bank, which was supposed to issue banknotes in denominations of 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rubles for a total amount of 5 million rubles.

The decree was not implemented due to a palace coup carried out by Catherine II, who, in turn, 6 years later returned to the idea of ​​issuing banknotes. On December 29, 1768 (January 9, 1769) a manifesto was signed, and on February 2 (13), a manifesto was made public on the establishment of branches of the Assignation Bank in St. Petersburg and Moscow, which received the exclusive right to issue banknotes. The manifesto stated that banknotes circulate on a par with coins and are subject to immediate exchange for coins on demand in any quantity. It was found that the release paper money should not exceed the cash amount of the coin in the bank. The initial capital of the Assignation Bank was 1 million rubles in copper coins - 500 thousand rubles each in the St. Petersburg and Moscow offices. The limit on the issue of banknotes was also set at 1 million rubles. The bank issued the following denominations: 25, 50, 75 and 100 rubles. The money of this issue had a primitive appearance, which simplified falsification. Banknotes in denominations of 25 rubles were converted into 75. Therefore, by decree of June 21, 1771, the issue of banknotes in denominations of 75 rubles was stopped and they were withdrawn from circulation. Size of banknotes 1769-1773 - 190×250 mm. These banknotes are rare and are of collector's interest.

Initially, the issue of banknotes had great success, however, since there was only a copper coin in the bank, the banknotes were exchanged only for it. This provision was enshrined in law by decree of January 22 (February 2) of the year. Thus, the banknote was firmly tied to the copper coin, which from now on became in fact only a means of exchange for the latter. At the beginning of the existence of the new monetary system, this disparity could not yet greatly influence the purchasing power of the new ruble, not backed by precious metal. Since 1780, the import and export of bank notes abroad was prohibited: the banknote ruble ceased to be convertible. At the same time, the issue of banknotes increased, and from the second half of the 1780s. a sharp depreciation of the exchange rate of paper money began, pulling with it its exchange equivalent - copper coins. Price scissors appeared, and from now on there were two independent monetary units in the country [ ] : silver ruble, backed by the internal content of precious metal and equal to 100 silver kopecks and assignat ruble, not backed by anything other than the population’s trust in the authorities, and equal to 100 exclusively copper kopecks.

The possibility of exchanging banknotes for copper money was initially provided by only two offices of the Assignation Bank, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but later their number increased. To ensure the exchange of banknotes for copper money and back, bank offices were opened in the following cities: in Yaroslavl (1772), in Smolensk, Ustyug, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod and Vyshny Volochek (1773), in 1776 - in Tobolsk, in 1779 - in Irkutsk, in 1781 offices were opened in Pskov, Novgorod, Tver, Nezhin, Kyiv, Kursk, Kharkov, Tambov, Orel and Tula, in 1782 - in Kazan, Arkhangelsk, Kherson, Riga and Revel. However, the turnover in provincial offices was usually small, there were many complaints about their work, and by 1788, 16 out of 23 offices were closed, and in 1796 only two provincial offices were operating; by 1818 there were six offices of the Assignation Bank - in Arkhangelsk, Vyshny Volochyok, Rybinsk, Odessa, Taganrog and Feodosia. The main flow of assignations passed through the capital bank. Since the 1790s the exchange of banknotes for copper coins gradually becomes more difficult and stops; later it was completely interrupted during the most difficult period for the country, 1810-1815.

Until 1812, all tax payments to the treasury, except for customs, could be made in banknotes at a rate of 1:1. Later, this course was made more economically adequate, that is, more profitable for the state and less profitable for citizens

Banknotes 1785-1818

In 1785-1787, banknotes of a new type were issued, better protected from counterfeiting, in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 rubles. The old-style banknotes were withdrawn from circulation and destroyed.

The manifesto of June 28, 1786 declared that the number of banknotes was limited to 100 million rubles. However, this royal word did not last even 3 years, since the state again needed money. “Since 1786, banknotes have become our usual financial resource,” A.N. sarcastically noted. Miklashevsky. By the end of 1796 total quantity banknotes in circulation exceeded the amount of 157.7 million rubles. The government promised to reduce the amount of paper money, but the promise was never kept.

By the end of the XVIII - early XIX century, the rate of banknotes fell sharply. Russia's military expenditures subsequently turned out to be so great that the issue of banknotes had to be carried out at an increasing pace, and by 1814-1815 their rate dropped below 25 kopecks in silver per ruble in banknotes.

In order to financially support the army that invaded Russia and, possibly, undermine Russian economy Napoleon began issuing counterfeit banknotes. It was difficult to distinguish a fake banknote from a real one - the fakes often looked even more convincing because they were printed on better paper. Unless the signatures were made in a typographical way (on the original banknotes these were genuine signatures made in ink). Some fakes had spelling errors: for example, the word “walking” on the fakes was displayed as “holyacheyu”. Contrary to sometimes assertions, the number of counterfeits was not comparable with the official issue of banknotes; according to one estimate, they were less than 1 percent of the total volume of all paper money circulating at that time

Banknotes of 1802

Banknotes of this type are known only in samples. Number 515001 is the same on all notes of the issue. The sizes of banknotes of each denomination are not the same.

Banknotes 1818-1849

The new type of banknotes began to be printed in July 1818. To the previous set of denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 rubles, a new banknote of 200 rubles was added. In order to improve the quality of the paper used and increase the protection against counterfeiting applied to them, the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers (EZGB) was specially created in the capital, on which all paper banknotes of Russia and stamp papers for official use have since been produced. A new type of banknotes was released into circulation in July 1819. The time for exchanging old banknotes of the 1786 model was determined until January 1, 1821.

Banknote colors

In everyday life, paper money was often named by color. The nicknames of the 1 and 3 ruble bills actually have nothing to do with banknotes: for the first time, paper money of such denominations appeared only in the 1840s, and these were not banknotes, but credit notes of a new type.

In 1769, Catherine II introduced the first paper banknotes in the history of Russia, which were called banknotes. The first banknotes of the Russian Empire made it possible to create an unlimited budget for the country and made it possible to save on precious metals, which were used for minting coins. It so happened that in Russia at that time there were two types of ruble in use - paper and metal (silver). The exchange rate of both one and the other currency changed all the time.

Later in the 1840s, a reform would be carried out and the banknotes would turn into banknotes. They must be backed up with silver in sufficient quantities. Unfortunately, by the end of the century this currency is also losing the trust of the people. For this reason, we have to turn to reforms again. It lies in the fact that a paper ruble now costs the same as a gold coin of the same denomination. Next comes the period of the First World War. She finally put an end to money circulation in this order. When the Bolsheviks came to power, inflation began in the country.

So, let's take a closer look at the issue of the very first banknotes of the Russian Empire.

The first paper banknotes in Russia

The paper money that Catherine II introduced into circulation in 1769 was very different from modern ones. They were not currency as such, but receipts against which silver coins could be obtained from the bank.

The reason for the appearance of paper money

Before the reign of the former German princess, copper coins were in use in the Russian Empire. Noble metals: gold and silver were needed to cover palace and military expenses. The state treasury was also involved in minting copper coins, however, they were used to exchange large denominations of precious metals.

Unfortunately, Catherine inherited the treasury of the empire in a deplorable state. Coins from noble metals was sorely lacking. The amount of copper money in the hands of the population grew alarmingly. Now they mostly moved within the state. Proof that the treasury was on the verge of ruin was that during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, the fashion houses of St. Petersburg stopped sewing on credit for the imperial palace nobility.

Another reason for the introduction of banknotes in the Russian Empire was that metal money weighed incredibly much. Their delivery in the most literal sense was a very difficult matter. For example, copper ones weighed 16.38 kg (62.5 pounds). For clarity, let's say that this is more than a ton. A lot of time was spent counting all this copper, and there were often errors in the calculations, which resulted in losses. Maybe, last reason became the most significant in the decision to introduce banknotes in the Russian Empire.

Queen's Manifesto

On January 9, 1769, Catherine II, in her manifesto, ordered the introduction into circulation of banknotes with denominations of twenty-five, fifty, seventy-five and one hundred rubles.

Banknotes were the paper equivalent of coins. To issue the latter, the first banks were established. In Catherine’s manifesto it was said that banknotes of the Russian Empire can be used on an equal basis with precious coins. Also, paper bills must be changed at the first request of their owner.

It is natural that the issue of paper money cannot exceed the amount of cash metal coins available to the treasury. At the time of the manifesto, the capital of the assignation bank was 1 million rubles in copper. 500 thousand rubles were kept in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The first banknotes of the Russian Empire were very primitive, which freed up the hands of fraudsters, and soon they began to be counterfeited. Counterfeiters converted the denomination of 25 rubles into 75. It was for this reason that the latter ceased to be issued in 1771. They were also removed from circulation. The counterfeit achieved its highest speed during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The enemies had the audacity to import a special machine from France for this purpose.

The raw materials, that is, the paper for the banknotes of Catherine II, were made at the Krasnoselskaya manufactory in the Senate printing house. Later she moved to Tsarskoye Selo. The first banknotes had watermarks and were hand-signed by authorized representatives.

What did the first paper money look like?

Low quality raw materials were used to produce paper money. The banknotes of the Russian Empire had numbering and text. From 1769 to 1773, banknotes measuring 90 by 25 millimeters were in circulation. The first money was the same size, despite the denomination. They looked more like front page printed edition. The banknotes had a vertical format. The inscriptions on them were made in elegant font. The paper money also featured a one-color seal and curly watermarks. In the center of the note was an image of a double-headed eagle.

The period of banknotes ended when their value dropped significantly. Then Catherine decided to issue new paper currency. In 1818-1819 New banknotes appeared in the treasury, the denomination of which was: five, twenty, five, fifty and one hundred rubles.

The new banknotes were protected by more complex watermarks, which depicted reproductions of paintings by Russian artists. Especially for this purpose, the most talented masters of painting from all over Rus' were called to the royal court. Also, scientific minds were engaged in the development of new protection technologies. Now paper notes were issued on special machines. Money in this format existed until 1840.

In 1840, a monetary reform took place, led by Yegor Frantsevich Kankrin. Its result was that banknotes were removed from use.

Credit notes 1843−1865

The production of coins and banknotes of the Russian Empire was now carried out by the State Paper Procurement Expedition. Thanks to new technology they have become more protected from falsification. The appearance of banknotes has also improved.

Surely many have heard the affectionate nicknames of Russian paper money, which were among the first. In those days, coins and banknotes of the Russian Empire were treated very carefully. They depicted reigning persons. Next you will see photos of the first banknotes of the Russian Empire.

"Petenka"

This bill was in use from 1898 to 1912. Its value was 500 rubles. Peter I was depicted on the banknote

"Katenka" or "Katerinka"

Probably the most famous banknote in the entire history of banknotes in Rus'. Its denomination was 100 rubles. It was released in 1866.

Below you see a photo of banknotes of the Russian Empire.

“Petenka” and “Katerinka” are recognized as one of the most beautiful monetary units on the planet. They are among the masterpieces of world printing art.

Assignation Bank Russian Empire, founded in 1768 to issue and distribute paper money, acquired monopoly Western European features from the end of the 18th century. Through accounting offices created in 1797, he provided loans to the merchants. For a short time, metal banknotes were even minted in his name. The bank's possessions included copper smelting and ironworks. However, by 1818 all these privileges were destroyed. The Mint was closed in 1805, and the accounting offices were annexed to the State commercial bank, established in 1817.

Subsequently, the bank, as at its founding, focused only on issues related to the circulation of banknotes. At a meeting of the Council of State Credit Institutions, which opened on February 22, 1818, it was emphasized that the monetary resources of this institution were divided into “provision” and “reserve” amounts. The first was called “capital” and was intended for the exchange of dilapidated banknotes. It was determined at 6 million rubles and divided in parts between St. Petersburg, Moscow and exchange offices. The reserve amount was intended to replenish this “capital”. Besides, cash from it were sent to government agencies in return for the old banknotes received from them.

The building of the Assignation Bank in St. Petersburg on Sadovaya Street (engraving by B. Patersen, 1807):

With the establishment of the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers in 1810, the issue of paper banknotes was concentrated there. Then they went to the reception and audit department, and after that they signed. Only after this long procedure did they end up in the Assignation Bank, from where they were distributed throughout different organizations and to private individuals, and also exchanged for worn-out ones.

Since the Ministry of Finance had only approximate data on the amount of banknotes in circulation among the population, their quantity had to be clarified. On the other hand, it was necessary to protect paper banknotes from numerous counterfeits, including high quality, which flooded Russia in 1812 and were known as Napoleonic. They differed from the genuine ones only by two subtle spelling errors (in the words “walking” and “state”) and typographical facsimiles of the signatures, while the real signatures were ink and handwritten.

Counterfeit copies are known in two denominations: 25 and 50 rubles. It is widely believed that they were printed on specially made presses, one of which was installed by the French at the Preobrazhenskoe Old Believer Cemetery near Moscow. However, they began making fake signs back in 1810 - first in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, then in Dresden and Warsaw.

The counterfeit banknotes were intended primarily to pay for fodder and food, goods and services in the occupied areas. Napoleon used similar tactics in Austria back in the 1800s. It is reliably known that in the years 1813-1819, Napoleonic fakes were seized in the amount of 5.6 million rubles. Thus, the total volume of such counterfeits was less than 1% of all paper money circulating at that time (in 1818 - 798 million rubles) and could not significantly spur inflation and upset the monetary economy of the huge empire.

The main reason for inflation was to cover military expenses. In conditions when the credit markets of Europe were closed to Russia, the issue of banknotes remained almost the main means of financing the war for the Minister of Finance. In 1815, when the Russian army was in Paris, the rate of banknotes fell to an all-time low in its history. For blue 5 rubles they gave only one “ruble.”

It is noteworthy that with the advance of the Russian army into Europe in 1813-1815. To service the quartered troops, “exchange offices” of the Assignation Bank began to be organized. The order to organize them was given to Kutuzov on January 13, 1813. It stated that Russian troops should pay the population of Poland and the German states through which they passed during the campaign against Paris, with Russian banknotes. To exchange them for specie, exchange offices were established in Warsaw, Berlin, Bromberg, Kalisz, Königsberg and Frankfurt am Main. Instead of paper money, they issued receipts, according to which payments were to be made in Grodno, Vilna, Warsaw and St. Petersburg.

Unfortunately, very little is known about these companies. There is information that in 1813, Ivan Ivanovich Lamansky, the future senator and director of the Special Chancellery for Credit, the father of the famous economist and banker Evgeny Ivanovich Lamansky, worked in one of them (Berlin).

However, Russian officers did not always pay even with such surrogates. It is known that Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, the future governor of the Caucasus, paid more than 1.5 million rubles in banknotes for the officers of the occupation corps, which he commanded in Maubeuge. According to a contemporary, this somewhat upset his large fortune, which he soon increased thanks to a profitable marriage.

In 1819, as part of the reforms carried out by Guryev, new types of paper money of the Russian Empire were introduced, which were more difficult to counterfeit. Their samples were approved by Alexander I on February 14 and July 4 of the same year. They differed from the previous ones in their sophisticated graphic design. For the first time an image was placed on them state emblem- double-headed eagle. Moreover, each denomination had its own watermark, different from the others. If we looked at them in the light, we could clearly see the text written in both “dark” and “light” letters.

This money became the third and last type of banknotes that circulated in circulation in the first quarter of the century before last. Banknotes from previous issues (sample 1786) could be exchanged for them. By 1820, more than 632 million rubles worth of old papers were exchanged. By January 1, 1824, their number in circulation was finally determined at almost 596 million rubles.

At Guryev’s initiative, a law was introduced to stop further issuance of banknotes, but their stock exchange status still increased very little. IN last year During the reign of Alexander I, the average annual exchange rate of the paper ruble on the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange was 26.4 kopecks. In comparison with 1801 (71.7 kopecks), this meant an increase in its inflation almost three times, which became a kind of result of Alexander’s reign. The disorganized paper and monetary circulation of the great Russian Empire, which defeated Napoleon, could not satisfy Nicholas I, who ascended the throne, who would set improvement of this situation among the main tasks of his reign.

*Based on materials from Ph.D. A. Bugrova (“Motherland”).

Often the word “assignat” was used to denote an order to a second person (assignataire) to receive value from a third person (assignat).

The first banknotes

According to historians, the first money appeared in China, in the seventh century BC. But banknotes became widespread only in the eighth century AD. The prototypes of such papers were receipts issued for valuable items. In addition, such papers were confirmation of payment of taxes.

In the 13th century, Genghis Khan made an exchange paper bills for gold. Banknotes were also issued in China, but in 1500 their printing had to be stopped due to high level inflation and the emergence of a number of technical difficulties.

History of banknotes closely intertwined with general history money:

- three to two thousand years BC, the first “progenitors” of banks appeared in Mesopotamia;

- 2250 BC, calculations were made in gold and silver for the first time. The metal began to be actively used as money;

- 1200 BC - the first was created Chinese character, which began to be used as money;

- 1000-600 BC– small pieces of metal (hoes, knives) began to circulate in China, used as a means of exchange;

- 640-620 BC- money was invented in the form of coins, which included silver and gold;

- 500 BC– a ban on the circulation of gold and silver coins. Other coins were issued that began to have more weight and were not subject to conversion;

- 910– active issue of paper currency in China;

- 12th century– the emergence of several banking houses on the territory of modern Italy;

- 1380- paper notes are being actively issued in China;

- 1440– created printing press, which began to be used for printing currency;

- 1661- Bank of Sweden opened. This is the first formal banking structure in the world.

Banknotes in the world

Europe learned about the existence of paper money only three centuries after its circulation began in China.

In 1286 Beijing was visited by Marco Polo, the famous Venetian traveler. According to his stories, money in China was made from mulberry leaves. The exchange of such “currency” for metal was carried out with a special permit.

In the rest of the world, paper money appeared at the end of the 17th century:

1690– issue of the first paper banknotes. Place of printing: Massachusetts. enjoyed great popularity.

1702 and 1709- the release of a new batch of money had a similar success.

1712– the rate of the first paper money decreased by 30%.

1750– paper money in the state was abolished and coins returned to circulation.

1775-1783 - during the American Revolutionary War, paper money was returned to circulation.


1781– again transferred to metal coins.

Early 18th century– the emergence of paper money (banknotes) in Europe. But this one was considered unsuitable for use. The only one who came to her defense was John Law. He stated that paper currency has several advantages - the convenience of making payments, the ability to store capital without loss, the ability to divide without losing value, and ease of production.

1796– France issued 40 billion francs in the form of banknotes. At that time it was as follows: 1 French franc was equal to 312.5 banknotes.

Banknotes in Russia

At the bottom - “Acts in favor of onago”,

At the very top is “Love for the Fatherland.”

1770 Catherine II plans to issue a new issue of money, in connection with which a new coin was developed, having different sizes and denominations. It was planned that one coin would weigh almost 900 grams, and its size would be 76 mm in diameter. The name of the coin is “New Sestroretsk”. Its weight ranged from 888 to 1024 grams.


1771– stopping the printing of 75 ruble bills. Because of large number For counterfeiting currency, the death penalty has been introduced for this crime. But this scared few people. After just a few years of production, the volume of counterfeits reached 11-13%. In order to undermine the Russian economy, Napoleon himself did not hesitate to print false banknotes and “inject them” into the financial system of his inveterate enemies.

1786-1818- second issue of banknotes. The new banknotes have changed their appearance. Their size was 170*33 mm, they used special paper. All banknotes had the signature of the proper persons (done by hand). On the front side is one of the bank's managers. On back side The banknotes were signed by one of the advisers. The watermark remained almost the same as during the first issue.


1787– beginning Russian-Turkish war, in which large volumes of banknotes were issued in the amount of almost 160 million rubles. Despite the fact that the manifesto planned to release only 58 million.

1796– death of Catherine II.

1800 - a commission was created that instructed to change the appearance of the banknotes. It was decided to use stronger paper, make inscriptions in different fonts, print the bank’s signature on each bill, and put banknote numbers to protect against counterfeiting.

1801– after the assassination of Paul I, Alexander I took the throne.

1801, April 10– a decision was made to issue a new batch of banknotes totaling 85 million rubles. Appearance banknotes was significantly changed. Banknotes were printed on high-quality white paper using black ink. On the back of the banknote there was a figured monogram “GDAB”.

The watermark contained the following inscriptions:

On the right side - “State Treasury”,

On the left side is the denomination of the banknote;

At the very top - “Love for the Fatherland”;

Below - “Acts for the benefit of onago.”

The banknote denominations were designated by the letters: “P” - 100 ruble bill, “KE” - 25 ruble bill, “T” - “chervonets” and “E” - five rubles.

1803 Printing of banknotes has been stopped. All existing papers were collected and burned. Only a few copies have survived to this day. At the same time, the printing of banknotes from the old series continued.

1818-1843– release new series government bonds. At the same time, the volume of old banknotes from 1786 reached almost 800 million rubles. Against this background, the currency rate dropped to 25.25 kopecks. The low quality of old banknotes and the large volume of counterfeits forced the creation of new banknotes.

In 1818 A.A. Betancourt (Lieutenant General) proposed creating a Securities Procurement Expedition. It was planned that it would present all stages of currency improvement. Construction began that same year.

Banknotes for 25 and 50 rubles were printed.

1818-1822 To increase rates, banknotes worth almost 230 million rubles were confiscated and destroyed. But this yielded almost no results. The exchange rate increased from 25 to 26.4 kopecks.


1819- notes were issued in denominations of five, ten, one hundred and two hundred rubles.

1823- banknotes were no longer withdrawn from circulation.

Assignats

Assignats- paper currency of the era of the French Revolution.

1790– the release of new banknotes began. From the beginning of its introduction into circulation, paper was used as a state paper. The income of each of them was 5% per year. The issue of banknotes was a necessary measure against the backdrop of the sale of national property. By the end of 1970, the issue of assignats was tripled.

1792– three emissions were made securities during January, October and December.

1793- three more issues of assignats, which were used to pay salaries to the military.


1793, September– for refusal to accept assignats, they could be sentenced to death. In the same year, due to the depreciation of banknotes, all prominent merchants, bankers and business people countries.

1793, November– the production of bonds printed in the likeness of the old assignats of 1790 has been launched. The only difference is the depiction of Louis XVII instead of his father Louis XVI.

1794- all persons who refused to accept assignats, lowered their rate or asked a question about the currency of payment before payment were subject to arrest and brought to trial. The main penalties are the entire property or the death penalty.

For 1794 banknotes lost 80% of their value. The poverty level has exceeded all acceptable limits. The working day was extended to 14 hours. Hunger and physical exhaustion of workers led to a strike.

1795– issue of banknotes in denominations from 100 to 10 thousand francs.

1795, December 23– accepted p
The decision was that the volume of assignments should not exceed 40 billion lire. An order was given that matrices, machines and other printing equipment should be destroyed.

1796, February 19– on Place Vendôme, all the equipment for producing money was burned.

1796- the issuance of territorial mandates with denominations from 25 to 500 francs began. But over time, this money also depreciated.

1797- appeared in circulation and replaced paper currency.

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