Coins of medieval Rus'. History of coins in Rus'

Money Ancient Rus': dirhams, kunas, nogat, hryvnia

Money in ancient Russia were generally called "coons". This word clearly indicates that once upon a time furs, and especially martens, served as the usual measure of value. Originally used for exchange, of course, valuable furs; but the trade need for smaller and exchangeable units forced the resort to crushing furs; from here came the so-called. “rezani” (i.e. segments) and “nogaty” (paws). In later times we also encounter “polushki” and “muzzles”, which in the same way became the name of metal units. From such parts of fur the transition to leather money was not far, i.e. flaps of leather with princely marks. In the middle of the 13th century, the French monk Rubrukvis noticed that the Russians used small pieces of leather with colored marks instead of coins. But such money, even if it existed, did not have widespread circulation in Rus'. Only specie could have such circulation. The latter was obtained, like any commodity, by trade with foreigners. Especially large number it was delivered from the east from Muslim countries. (However, perhaps these Arab silver money served more for neck and head decorations than for the needs of trade.) The “hryvnia” served as a metal monetary unit throughout Rus'. Judging by the name, some rightly guess that this unit originated precisely from a metal neck hoop, which had a more or less certain weight; so the hryvnia began to denote both weight and coin, i.e. ingot of the same weight. Not only the shape of this ingot, but also its value and weight, and therefore its value, varied across different regions of Rus'. Moreover, the silver hryvnia also differed from the kun hryvnia. The second was half the size of the first, but also denoted metallic money; she, in fact, constituted a walking coin. The Novgorod hryvnia kun weighed half a pound of silver, or 48 spools, the Smolensk one - a quarter of a pound, and the Kiev one - a third. The hryvnia kun consisted of 20 nogat, or 25 kun, or 50 rezan.

The minting of small coins, gold and silver, began in Rus' according to the Byzantine model, after the adoption of Christianity. Although it was not numerous, its existence is confirmed by the finds of a certain number of such coins (especially the Nezhinsky treasure, found in 1852 and containing up to two hundred “pieces of silver,” as the chronicle calls them). On their front side there was usually an image of the sovereign sitting on the throne in full attire, with the inscription “Vladimir”, or “Yaroslav”, or “Svyatopolk”, etc.; on the reverse we find some kind of sign (probably the top of a scepter) with an inscription around it: “And behold his silver” or “gold”.

The question of the ancient Russian monetary system, with the abundance of numismatists and numismatic collections, has significant literature in our country. I will name the following works: Krug "Critical research on ancient Russian coins." St. Petersburg 1807. Kazansky “Research on the Old Russian Monetary System” (West. Archaeol. General. III). Kachenovsky "On Leather Money" (posthumous edition. M. 1849). Pogodin "Research and lectures". IV. Ch. 7. Voloshinsky "Description of ancient Russian coins found near Nezhin." Kyiv. 1853. Belyaeva “Were there coins in Rus' before the 14th century?” (West. Archaeol. General. V. He resolves the issue positively). His “On the relationship of the hryvnia of the 12th century to the ruble of the 16th century” (Vremen. Ob. I. and Others XXIII). Zabolotsky "On values ​​in ancient Rus'". St. Petersburg 1854. Kunika "On Russian-Byzantine coins of Yaroslav I." St. Petersburg 1860. Letters to him on the same subject from Bartholomew and gr. Uvarov (in Izvestia Archaeol. General. T. II and IV). Prozorovsky "On the coins of Vladimir St." Proceedings of IV Archaeol. congress. T. I. Kazan 1884. His “Coin and weight in Russia until the end of the 18th century” (Zap. Archaeol. Ob. XII. 1865). The careful work of the latter perfectly clarified the system and value of the metal coin of Ancient Rus'. Review of this essay by Academician Bychkov in the ninth award of the gr. Uvarov. St. Petersburg 1867. The same Prozorovsky “Ancient Greco-Roman measures and their relationship to the Russians” (Izv. Archaeol. Ob. IX. 1880). and “On Kun Values” (Collected Archaeological Institute. IV. St. Petersburg, 1880). Next: Prof. Usov "On ancient Russian money according to Russian truth" (Antiquities of Moscow. Archaeol. Ob. IX. 1883). Gr. I.I. Tolstoy "Dopetrov. Numismatics". Vol. 1st. "Coins of V. Novgorod" (St. Petersburg, 1883). Vol. 2nd. "Coins of Pskov" (St. Petersburg, 1886). Petrov “Coins of the Grand Prince of Kyiv Izyaslav Yaroslavich” (Proceedings of the IX Archaeological Congress. T. I. 1895).

Regarding the Eastern, or Muslim, coins of the 7th – 11th centuries, found in abundance in Russia, as well as about its ancient trade relations with the East, the most detailed work belongs to P.S. Savelyev “Muhammadan Numismatics”. St. Petersburg 1846. See also Pogodin “On Russian trade during the appanage period.” "Kievite". III. M. 1850.

Coins in Ancient Rus' have been known since the 1st century. n. e., these were different coins, both their own minting and those imported from abroad. Since ancient times, the Slavs traded with many foreigners and therefore in Rus' one could find both Russian rubles and hryvnias, as well as German thalers and Arab dirhams. Modern historians say that money appeared in Rus' in the 14th century, but at the same time, they refute themselves when they say that the Slavs traded with foreigners even before new era.

The first mentions of native Russian Slavic coins are found in the chronicles of Novgorod and Kyiv, where the names kuna, nogat, rezan and hryvnia are found. Presumably 1 hryvnia kun = 20 nogatam = 25 kunam = 50 rezanam = 150 vereveritsa. Veksha (squirrel, veritsa) is the smallest monetary unit of Ancient Rus', 1/3 of a gram of silver. In Rus' the so-called "Kun system of measures, weights and money." Kuna is a silver coin (2 g of silver), the name of which comes from the skin of a marten, a popular barter product. Over time, the kuna was halved and amounted to 1/50 of a hryvnia-kuna until the beginning of the 15th century.

Trade between Rus' and Rome began at the beginning of the first millennium of the new era. On the territory of Ukraine and Belarus, treasures of silver coins with images of Roman emperors and with Latin inscriptions are often found. These are Roman denarii from the 1st–3rd centuries. n. e. Since trade among the Slavs was very developed at that time, Roman denarii were used everywhere. Roman denarii is the name of Roman silver coins from the times of the Republic and the first two centuries of the Empire, one of the most common coins in territories under Roman rule or influence. The Roman denarius corresponded to the Greek drachma, so Greek authors usually replace the denarius with the word drachma in stories about Roman history. The word drachma itself comes from the Assyrian (Russian) “darag-mana”, i.e. expensive exchange, denoting 10 grams of silver. Most likely, the Roman denarius also came from this word, because it, like the drachma, meant a silver coin and was similar in pronunciation. Therefore, to say that the names Roman denarii and Greek drachmas were foreign coins for the Slavs is, at the very least, stupid. Even eastern dirhams in the 8th-9th centuries. in Rus' - large silver coins with Arabic inscriptions, the name of which is also a distortion of the word drachma. Dirhams were minted in the Arab Caliphate, and from there Arab merchants brought them to the territory Kievan Rus. Here I received a dirham Russian name: it began to be called kuna or nogata, half of the kuna - cut. 25 kunas made up the hryvnia of kunas. At the end of the 10th century. in the Arab Caliphate, the minting of silver dirhams was reduced and their influx into Kievan Rus weakened, and in the 11th century. stops completely.

Subsequently, Western European coins began to be imported into Rus', which were called the same as the Roman ones once were - dinars. The Russian names of the coins were transferred to these thin silver coins with primitive images of rulers - kun or rezany.

Russian coins were widespread - zlatniks and silver coins, which were initially minted in Kyiv. Archaeologists find silver coins from the 1st-6th centuries. The coins depicted the Grand Duke of Kiev and a unique state emblem in the shape of a trident - the so-called sign of the Rurikovichs.
The inscription on the coins of Prince Vladimir (980-1015) read: “Vladimir is on the table, and this is his silver,” which means: “Vladimir is on the throne, and this is his money” (Fig. 2). For a long time in Rus' the word “silver” - “silver” was equivalent to the concept of money.

In the 13th century Cossacks from the Golden Order, Siberian Rus', or the so-called, attacked Muscovy. Great Tartary. The reason for their campaign was the disintegration of the elite of Moscow and the western Russian principalities, their dependence on their western neighbors, Poland and Lithuania, and the forced Christianization of the Rule of the glorifying Slavs who lived in Muscovy. Many capital cities of the western principalities were destroyed, trade died out. In these difficult years in Muscovy, all coins were brought from Siberia. True, there were Kyiv hryvnias, hexagonal ingots weighing about 160 g, and Novgorod ones, in the form of a long bar weighing about 200 g. In the 14th century. On the western outskirts of the Russian lands, “Prague groschen”, minted in the Czech Republic, circulated, and on the eastern outskirts, in the current Ryazan, Gorky, and Vladimir regions, there were eastern dirhams - small silver coins without images, with Arabic inscriptions.

Since the 12th century, the main Russian monetary unit has appeared - the ruble, the name of which is still alive. Rubles were parts of a hryvnia or pieces of silver with notches indicating their weight. Each hryvnia was divided into four parts; the name ruble comes from the word “cut”, because a silver rod weighing a hryvnia was cut into four parts, which were called rubles. The Novgorod silver ingot began to be called a ruble, and half of a silver ingot was called a half. In the XIV century. The Principality of Moscow was one of the first to start minting under the famous Prince Dmitry Donskoy (1359-1389). On the coins of this prince we see the image of a warrior with a battle ax in his hands, next to which is the name of the prince - Dmitry. The inscription is made in Russian letters. But the other side of the coin imitates Siberian money, which was in circulation in Siberia, Great Tartary. Still in Central Asia, there remained the heirs of Russian Siberian coins - tenge in Kazakhstan and tegreg in Mongolia.

The coins of various principalities differed from each other in both weight and appearance.
On the Novgorod coins, the laconic inscription read: “Great Novagorod.” On the coins of Pskov there was an inscription: “Pskov money.” On the coins of Novgorod and Pskov we do not see princely names, since supreme authority in these cities belonged to the veche. The coins of the Ryazan principality depicted a unique coat of arms of the principality, the meaning of which has not yet been revealed, and the name ruling prince. On Tver coins there are hunting scenes.
The main Russian silver coin of the XIV-XV centuries. became money; this word, slightly modified (money), has acquired a broader meaning in Russian.

In addition to silver coins, some large cities minted copper coins - pulas. Exists copper coin with an image of a bird and the inscription: “Moscow poulo.” Silver and copper coins were minted from wire, which was cut into pieces of a certain weight (less than 1 g).
These pieces of wire, previously flattened, were minted with coins on which images and inscriptions were carved.

As the Russian principalities united into single state The diversity in the weight and appearance of Russian coins began to complicate trade. In 1534, a monetary reform was carried out in the Russian centralized state. Three were left money yard: Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, where only one type of national coin was minted.

These were kopecks, money (1/2 kopeck) and half rubles (1/4 kopeck). On the kopecks there was an image of a horseman with a spear (hence the name “kopek”) and the inscription: “Tsar and Great Prince Ivan of All Rus'”, on the money there was a horseman with a saber and the inscription: “Tsar and Prince Great Ivan”, on the side there was a bird and the word "sovereign". 100 kopecks constituted a ruble, 50 - a half, 10 - a hryvnia, 3 - an altyn, but all monetary units, except for a penny, money and half, were only counting concepts.

From 1534, Russian coins remained unchanged until the end of the 17th century. Only the names of the kings in the inscriptions changed.
From that time to the present day, the counting system has been preserved (100 kopecks make up a ruble) and the names of the main monetary units (our ruble, fifty kopecks - 50 kopecks, five-altyn - 15 kopecks, ten-kopeck - 10 kopecks, kopeck).

During the years of the Polish-Swedish intervention at the beginning of the 17th century. The Russian monetary system experienced a severe shock. The invaders proclaimed the Polish prince Vladislav the Russian Tsar and began minting coins of very low weight in Moscow with his name.
In Yaroslavl, the government of the Militia under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky, in contrast to the coins of the interventionists, minted coins with the name of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, who died back in 1598, the last legitimate king of the Rurik dynasty.

In 1613, after the election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne, the previous monetary system was restored.

In 1654, the minting of large denominations began - rubles, half, half, half, altyns, since small coins were inconvenient for large trade payments. In Russia, a penny was first minted in 1654, under Alexei Mikhailovich, and was equal to 2 kopecks. Rubles were minted from silver, similar half rubles were minted from copper, half half rubles were minted from silver; then the so-called efimkas with the sign appeared - Western European thalers with a stamp and the date -1655. Efimok is the Russian name for the Western European silver thaler. The name "efimok" comes from the name of the first thalers minted in the city of Joachimsthaler in Bohemia (now Jachimov in the Czech Republic) - Joachimsthaler. These coins began to be imported into Russia in large quantities starting from the 16th century and were used as raw materials for minting their own silver coins. The population was reluctant to use this unusual money; it was difficult to mint it.

Soon they began to mint copper pennies, which in appearance were no different from silver ones. By order of the government, copper pennies were equated to silver ones. This was very beneficial for the treasury and disadvantageous for the people. At that time there was a war with Poland, the people suffered from general economic ruin. Money depreciated, food became more expensive, and famine began in the country.
In 1662, a popular uprising broke out in Moscow, which went down in history as the “Copper Riot.”

The frightened government canceled the new money in 1663. The minting of silver kopecks, money and half coins resumed.
Only at the beginning of the 18th century, under Peter I, were Russian coins finally changed. From 1700-1704 They began to mint silver rubles, half-rubles (560 kopecks), half-half-rubles (25 kopecks), hryvnias (kopecks, 10 kopecks), altyns (3 kopecks), copper kopecks, polushki and half-polushki. Chervonets, 10 rubles, were minted from gold. They were minted not from wire, as in the 14th-17th centuries, but on special coin blanks - circles. In this form, the Russian monetary system existed without any significant changes until the 20th century.

In Rus', coins have been in circulation since the 1st century, but the basis of the money supply was made up of products from other states brought by merchants and warriors. Among the many coins one could easily find thalers from German lands and dirhams from Arab countries.

The first ancient Russian coins

In the annals of Kyiv and Novgorod, for the first time there are mentions of Slavic metal money:

Coons

Nogaty

• Rezany;
• Veveritsy.

If we talk about their exchange rate, historians suggest the following relationship: hryvnia = 20 nogatam = 25 kunam = 50 rezanam. The smallest unit was a vereveritsa (veksha, squirrel), in a hryvnia there were 150 vereveritsa or a third of a gram of silver. In turn, the kuna already weighed 2 grams of silver and gave the name “kuna” to the entire monetary system of Ancient Rus'. Its name comes from the marten animal, whose fur was a widespread commodity for exchange with foreigners. This coin was in circulation until the 15th century, its purchasing power was 1/50 of a hryvnia.

The reign of Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (978-1015) was marked by the emergence of the first Russians coins from precious metals:

The obverse of the metal money depicted a prince seated on a throne, and the reverse depicted the face of Jesus Christ, copied from the solidi of the Byzantine Empire.

On the following coins, which were minted by Svyatopolk and Yaroslav the Wise in Novgorod, a princely bident or trident was depicted as a symbol of the power of a particular ruler. In 1019, Yaroslav the Wise stopped minting metal money.

The rarest silver coins of Mikhail (Oleg) Svyatoslavovich, who ruled in Tmutarakan, were minted in 1078. On the obverse of the coin there was an image of the Archangel Michael, and on the reverse there was a carved inscription “Lord help Michael.” The last princely silver coins appeared in 1094, after which a coinless period began in Rus' for almost two centuries.

Coins of Rus' XII-XIV centuries

Only in the middle of the 12th century did Rus'’s own silver money appear again. They got common name"hryvnia", although they differed significantly in weight and shape:

• The hryvnia of the Principality of Kyiv was a diagonally elongated rhombus weighing 160 grams;

• Chernigov hryvnias weighed 196 grams, they were more symmetrical in shape, had sharp edges and edges;

• In the Volga region they paid in “hryvnia-som”, their appearance resembled a boat, and weighed almost 200 grams;
• Principality of Lithuania made its own hryvnias in the form of sticks with wide dents across them;
• weighed 200 grams and were made in the form of slightly elongated bars.

The first ruble appears in Rus' in the 12th century. It was made very simply: a silver rod weighing about a hryvnia was cut into 4 equal parts. This is where the name of the internal Russian currency came from, which has remained with us to this day. On each part of the ruble there were notches, by which the weight was calculated.

Around the end of the 13th century, hryvnias from Novgorod also began to be called rubles. ½ of this hryvnia was called “half”. For the first time, the names of the craftsmen who cast the ingots appeared on the coins of that time. But on half coins of the 14th-15th century they already put real stamps, letters of the prince’s name and images, which allows numismatists today to more accurately calculate the age and place of production of coins.

Unlike the ruble and hryvnia, small denomination coins were all imported:

• Drachmas;
• Guilders;
• Pfennig;
• And others, including fragments and debris.

Typically, in the west of the country, coins of the European type were in circulation, while in the east - money of the Golden Horde.

By the middle of the 14th century, the minting of silver coins with the simple name “denga” was launched in scattered Russian lands. They were made from both ingots and by re-stamping Golden Horde coins, which were in great abundance at that time. New stamps and letters were put on the money Greek alphabet, emphasizing their Slavic origins. Smaller quarter and half-denga coins were also made from silver, weighing a quarter or half of the money, respectively. Some princes minted their own copper coins, “pulas,” which were used for payments within their lands.

On the money of Novgorod there was a two-figure composition and the inscription “Veliky Novgorod”. This appearance of the coin was preserved for almost 50 years, until 1478. Money was minted in Torzhok and also in Pskov. The latter were stamped with the inscription “Denga Pskovskaya”.

A unified monetary system in Rus' was formed at the end of the 15th century. It contained two types of coins: Novgorod and Moscow. One ruble was equal to one hundred “Novgorodkas” or two hundred “Moskovkas” or four hundred “polushkas”. One hryvnia of silver weighing 204.75 grams was used to mint coins worth 2.6 rubles. In 1530, one ruble was equal to 100 kopecks, two half rubles, 10 hryvnias. For three kopecks they gave an altyn, and for a kopeck - 2 money or 4 half rubles.

Money made from yellow precious metal appeared in Rus' more than a thousand years ago. The first coins of “our own production”, minted from gold, appeared in our country in the 10-11th century, during the time of Prince Vladimir, known to us as “Red Sun”. All coins of this period show the influence of Byzantine art. The front side usually depicted the Grand Duke with a trident (this was the “crown” symbol Kyiv princes), on back side there was an image of Christ the Savior with the Gospel in his hand.

Zlotnik of Prince Vladimir.

In those days, there was a heyday of Kievan Rus, and it is clear that in order to raise prestige among the people and neighboring states, gold coins were minted. But then came a difficult period - the Tatar invasion, civil strife, unrest. All this naturally led to the fact that the treasury of even the richest princes was empty. Accordingly, until the end of the 15th century, gold coins were not minted in Rus'.

The production of our own coins by reminting (mainly from Hungarian) began under the Moscow Grand Dukes Mikhail Fedorovich, Ivan III Vasilievich. Interestingly, most often these coins were not in use, but were issued as a reward for military merit.

Mikhail Fedorovich. Committed gold in three quarters of Ugric.

The tradition of minting gold kopecks and chervonets continued under the tsars. On the coins of Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible double headed eagle placed on both sides of the coin. The son of Ivan IV, Fyodor Ivanovich, placed an inscription with his title on one side of the coins, and a double-headed eagle or horseman on the other.

Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682). Award gold worth two Ugric. Remake.

Similar types of coins were minted by False Dmitry, Vasily Shuisky, and Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. Alexey Mikhailovich minted a double chervonets with his belt image.

Pre-reform coins of Peter I, Ivan and Sophia had both images of co-rulers and simply double-headed eagles on both sides.

Ivan, Peter, Sophia. Gold reward of one Ugric for Crimean campaign 1687

Under Peter I everything changed. Gold coins came into use as they began to be minted in industrial scale. Thus, they were minted according to a strict pattern, and their denomination under Peter I was unusual. Since 1701 the first Russian Emperor ordered the minting of 1 ducat and 2 ducats.

The fact is that initially a large number of these coins were minted from Western gold ducats. The weight of 1 ducat varied, but, as a rule, was 6-7 grams. What makes them different from modern money was that the coin did not indicate its denomination. But the Russian people found a more familiar name for such “ducats” and began to call one ducat a chervonets, and two ducats a double chervonets.

Dukat of Peter I.

Since 1718, Peter I issued 2 gold rubles. His wife Catherine I, during her reign, also issued only two-ruble coins in gold. By the way, the circulation was limited and reached about 9 thousand copies. Therefore, today you can get from 90 to 900 thousand rubles for a two-ruble coin of Catherine I Alekseevna.

Two rubles in gold. Ekaterina Alekseevna.

During the reign of Peter II, gold coins were minted without denomination, but out of habit they were called chervonets. The same thing happened under Anna Ioannovna. Today, money with a portrait of this autocrat can fetch from 35 thousand to 2 million rubles (depending on the year and the image on the coin).

Chervonets of Anna Ioannovna. 1730

During the short reign of the infant John IV, gold coins were not minted: they simply, probably, did not have time for several months.

Further, when Elizaveta Petrovna came to power, the production of gold money finally revived. In addition to the standard chervonets with a portrait of the empress, a double chervonets was issued. There were also half a ruble, 1 ruble, 2 rubles. Then, in 1755, imperial (10 rubles) and semi-imperial (5 rubles) were added to these coins. On the new coins, instead of a double-headed eagle on the reverse, there is a cross of four patterned shields connected by a fifth. On the first four - coats of arms and symbols of cities Russian Empire, and in the central shield there is a double-headed eagle with a scepter and an orb. Imperials were most often used for foreign trade operations.

Imperial of Elizabeth Petrovna. 1756

Among this abundance, Peter III left only the familiar chervonets, as well as imperial and semi-imperial. After the story of the overthrow of her husband, Catherine II ordered all coins with the portrait of Peter III to be minted into coins of the same denomination, but with her name and portrait. Therefore, coins from the time of Peter III are very rare and highly valued. There is evidence that at auctions they go for amounts starting from several tens of thousands of dollars.

Paul I, the son of Catherine II, began a new tradition. Money was now minted without a portrait of the emperor. He left an imperial, a half-imperial and a gold piece. They looked unusual.

Chervonets Pavel. 1797

Under Alexander I the tradition continued. Among the “golden” only imperial (10 rubles) and semi-imperial (5 rubles) remained. After the victory over Napoleon in 1813, Poland became part of Russia. In this regard, in 1816, Alexander I began minting coins (for Poland) at the Warsaw Mint. Of gold there were 50 and 25 zlotys.

50 zlotys with a portrait of Alexander I. 1818

Nicholas I left the imperials, but became famous for the fact that he began minting coins... from platinum! These were the world's first platinum coins issued for everyday circulation. They were issued in denominations of 3, 6 and 12 rubles. At that time, by the way, platinum was not considered expensive and was 2.5 times cheaper than gold. It had just been discovered in 1819, its extraction was very cheap. In this regard, the government, fearing mass counterfeits, removed platinum coins from circulation. AND more money Platinum has never been minted in Russia. And all the scrap coins - 32 tons - were sold to England. And this country for a long time was a monopolist for this metal. Today, at auctions, platinum coins of Nicholas I can be sold for 3-5 million rubles.

Platinum 6 rubles of Nicholas I. 1831

Let's return to gold. The successor of Nicholas I, Alexander II, the most democratic tsar and liberator of the peasantry, minted only half-imperial coins and also introduced 3 rubles in gold. There were reforms in the country; no special money was provided for the minting of gold. Apparently, this is why the denominations have decreased.

3 rubles in gold. Alexander II. 1877

Alexander III left the coins of the same denomination, but returned the imperial - 10 rubles. And he ordered his portrait to be minted on it. Thus, the tradition of portrait chervonets was resumed. Are changing technical specifications gold coin - it becomes thicker, but has a smaller diameter. Gold coins Alexandra III are sold at auctions for amounts of 7-20 thousand dollars.

Imperial of Alexander III. 1894

Next, we are left with only the golden times of the infamous last Tsar Nicholas II. Coins of 5 and 10 rubles are still brought to buyers of antiquities by old women who have preserved them somewhere unknown. And the search engines dream of seeing the golden shine of this particular royal profile in the newly dug hole.

Golden chervonets of Nicholas II.

The weight of a gold coin with a face value of 10 rubles before Nicholas 2 was 12.9 grams. After the Nikolaev monetary reform, the weight of a gold coin with a face value of 10 rubles was reduced by one and a half times and amounted to 8.6 grams. Therefore, gold coins became more accessible and their circulation increased.

In the new lightweight “Nikolaev” weight, gold 15 rubles and 7 rubles 50 kopecks were minted. At the same time, their cost is low, just like the cost of “Nikolaev” chervonets - about 20 thousand rubles. But they are found more often than all other coins combined, and the chance of finding them in a mine is also higher.

There are also “gift” coins from the time of Nicholas II. These coins were minted for the personal gift fund of Nicholas 2. The dates of their minting suggest that 25 rubles of 1896 were minted specifically for the coronation, and 25 rubles of 1908 for the 40th anniversary of Nicholas 2. The price of such gold coins reaches 120-150 thousand dollars.

Following the donated (gift) coins, we can highlight a completely unusual, unparalleled gold coin with a face value of 37 rubles 50 kopecks - 100 francs in 1902. According to some assumptions, in this way Nicholas 2 wanted to commemorate the Franco-Russian union, but another part of numismatists are more inclined to believe that 37 rubles 50 kopecks - 100 francs were intended for use in the casino system. At a price like this, a “gold” one can be found at auctions today for 40-120 thousand dollars.

The story of the last golden royal chervonets deserves a separate story.

You will learn about it in the next article.

The beginning of coinage in Rus', in the modern sense of the word, dates back to the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th centuries. Silver and gold Russian coins appeared during the reign of Vladimir the Great. Before this, either dirhams brought by merchants from the East or Byzantine coins were used for mutual settlements. It could also happen exchange in kind. In addition, written sources mention several payment units, about most of which researchers have not reached a consensus.

Payment units of pre-Vladimir Rus'

The most well-known means of payment during this period is the hryvnia. This name implied a massive silver ornament worn around the neck. In payment equivalent, the hryvnia was equal to a silver bar weighing 200 g and was exchanged for it.

Also in written sources such names as hryvnia kun, kun, nogata, cut, viveritsa (veksha) are mentioned. Researchers have not reached a consensus on what these words mean. The kuna is sometimes identified with the Arabic dirham, Western European denarius, or other silver coins. Sometimes it is associated with payments in fur for goods. Also correlated with the name of taxes that existed in those days and were called “marten”. But one way or another, the hryvnia kuna is the amount of 25 kunas.

Another unit of account was the nogat, which is correlated either with separate group Arab dirhams, or with payments in leather and furs. The hryvnia kun was divided into 20 nogat if necessary. The rezana was 1/2 kun, and one of the possible physical expressions of this payment unit could well be the scraps of Arab dirhams found in ancient Russian treasures.

The smallest denomination was called veksha or viveritsa (squirrel) and amounted to 1/6 kuna or, according to other sources, 1/100 hryvnia. It is quite possible that the ancient system of payments with fur simply left its mark in the form of names on the coins put into circulation by merchants.

The first Russian coins

The first coins that began to be minted at the court of Vladimir the Great were made of gold and silver and were called zlatnik and sererenik, respectively. The obverse of the coin depicted Grand Duke Kiev, on the reverse - a trident, the prince's coat of arms. The same coins were minted by the son of Vladimir the Great, Yaroslav the Wise, and Yaroslav’s cousin, Svyatoslav of Turov. On the obverse of the Yaroslav coins, the patron saint of the prince was depicted - Yuri the Shining.

It is interesting to note that Russian coins with portraits of Kyiv princes and a trident were unique for Europe at that time. Western European monetary units of that time were copies of Roman coins.

The coinless period and the emergence of the ruble

After the attack of the Mongol-Tatars, a period of fragmentation began. Kyiv fell, and the minting of uniform coins in Rus' ceased. Gradually came into circulation different shapes bullions of precious metals. Among them, a single type of rectangular silver ingot with a scar seam and “cut off” ends began to stand out, which was called the ruble. One ruble was equal to ten hryvnia kunas. The ruble was divided into smaller payment units by cutting it into pieces, which only supported its name, firmly introducing the word into everyday life.

A tenth of it was called a ten-kopeck piece. A ruble divided in half was called a poltina, and into four parts a quarter. Also, small payment units - money - were made from the ruble. Moreover, in Moscow they received 200 money from the ruble, and in Novogorod - 216.

Return of the minted coin

Russian coins began to be minted again in the second half of the 14th century. The “appanage” period in Russian numismatics begins in the 1380s and is characterized by the appearance of coins minted in individual appanage principalities. During this period, local monetary systems began to emerge, which later formed a single one.

For the first time, registered silver money was made in the Grand Duchy of Moscow during the reign of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. Russian ancient coins of the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod principalities date back to almost the same time. At the very beginning of the 15th century. The Principality of Tver began minting its own coins, and within 20 years Pskov and Veliky Novgorod had caught up with it. Until the end of the first half of the 15th century. Up to 50 specific rulers began to issue their own coins.

The set of coins was small: silver money and half money. Novgorod and Pskov minted money and quarter money. In some places (for example, in the Moscow and Tver principalities) there was also a copper coin of the smallest denomination - pula.

In Moscow at the end of the 14th century, the counting system was as follows: the ruble (ingot) was divided into two half rubles, 10 hryvnias or 33 1/3 altyns. At the same time, the half-tina, the kryvennik and the altyn did not have a monetary expression; they were units of account. But denga and poludenga are minted Russian coins, and their value, in comparison with bullion, was as follows: one ruble was equal to 200 minted money or 400 poludenga. Regarding the quantitative ratio of the copper pool to silver coins no data available.

Tsarist period of numismatics

From 1533 to the end of the 17th century. specific monetary systems merged, forming one, unified for the Russian state.

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible's mother, Elena Glinskaya, strict rules for minting coins were established. Silver money was produced in small and heavyweight. Small coins bore the image of a horseman with a sword and were called sword coins. On large silver money a horseman-spearman was depicted; they were called spear money. The modern penny originates from the latter. The smallest coin was called a half coin. It was equal to a quarter of a penny or half of money.

Before the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, Russian coins did not bear the designation of the year of issue. This king was the first to order the date to be marked on pennies.

Old Russian coins in history and numismatics

Numismatics is an auxiliary historical discipline. Money is an important element of any society. They bear the imprint of its political, ideological structure, religious attitudes and the historical processes taking place in it. In addition, money reflects many sides public life, which fell out of sight of other documentary evidence of the past.

Thus, for example, the transition to a standardized monetary system of the tsarist period from the variety of coins of the XIV-XVI centuries. reflects the completion of a long process of centralization of scattered principalities.

In addition to its significance for historical science, numismatics is also a type of collecting. Peter I and his associate Alexander Menshikov are called the first coin collector in Russia.

Cost of Russian coins

There are many catalogs listing currently known Russian coins and their values. However, the price of a particular coin also depends on its safety and general condition.

For example, if the price of a silver piece of Prince Vladimir in fairly good condition can be more than 250 US dollars, then a fairly damaged coin without several fragments is worth much less. That is why the question of how much Russian ancient coins cost is most reasonable to solve in each specific case by the method of appropriate examination, because we're talking about about archaeological value.