|
|
|
|
|
|
|   
The collection of Russian coins reflects the history of money circulation in Russia. The beginning of gold and silver coins minting between 10th and 11th centuries, so called zlatniks and srebreniks bearing representation of the Kiev prince, Russian inscriptions and Christian symbolism, constituted evidence that Russia had taken its deserved place amongst the early medieval European and Oriental countries. The Hermitage collection possesses more than a half of known zlatniks and srebreniks of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (988-1015), Svyatoslav the Okayany (1015-1018) and Yaroslav the Mudry (1018-1054). Purchasing ingots (silver grivnas) were brought about by the so-called ‘coinless' era, during which they were the only metal currency in Russian principalities of the time. Of exceptional value are engraved inscriptions of minting and owners – graffiti. The Hermitage has 900 silver and 2 gold ingots from 60 hoards discovered on the European area of Russia in the 18th-20th centuries. The museum is particularly proud of its remarkable collection of silver and copper coins struck on flattened out wire, it circulated in Muscovite Russia in the late 15th-early 16th centuries. At that time the minting was carried out in dozens of towns. The minting of private coins was resumed in Rus in the second half of the 14th century, the period of the liberation struggle against Tartar-Mongolian invasion; in addition, Russian princes suppressed the minting of the Tatar khanates on the Volga river. While using only silver and copper coins in money circulation, Russian princes sometimes struck gold coins for the purpose of representation; these were gifts to diplomats, military awards and pieces for court ceremonies. From the reign of Ivan the Grozny up to the early 18th century Muscovite tsars proceeded with this tradition, but Peter I's transformations caused a new system of awards. Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich tried to change radically the currency system based on a wire coin. The results of his unsuccessful currency reform were roubles, very rare in collections, poltinas and polu-poltinas of 1654, and also counter-marked yefimoks of 1655. The currency reform of Peter I turned out to be more successful; it gave to Russia quite a perfect currency system with a wide set of gold, silver and copper coins of various nominations. Successful search and working of silver and gold ores during Peter I's reign enabled Russia almost completely to provide national minting with continuously enlarging volume of raw materials. Particularly intensive was the working of copper in the Urals and Altai. Unusual plate money copper coins with the nomination from a rouble to kopeck (such 10 roubles weighted a pood, Russian measure of weight, which equaled to16,38 kg) were struck by the Yekateriburg Mint in 1725-1727. The Hermitage has a complete series of these coins including the unique rouble plate of 1725 with a memorial inscription. Later the Yekateriburg Mint struck and supplied Moscow Mint with flans for striking copper coins. In 1755-1876 the Yekateriburg Mint struck state currency of copper. In 1763-1847 in the Altai region there worked the Kolyvan Mint, which during Catherine II's reign struck local currency for circulation in the Siberian region. In 1789-1798 copper coins of various nominations were struck by a temporary mint in the village of Anninskoye in the Perm region. In the 19th century the St Petersburg Mint struck coins of the Urals' native platinum. After the nickel-bed was discovered in the Urals in the second half of the 19th century, the Russian government debated many times the project of replacement silver coins to nickel. At the present time the collection of Russian coins in the State Hermitage's Numismatics Department numbers about 300,000 items.
|
Korabelnik of Ivan III 1471-1490 Larger view
| |||||
|
All rights reserved. Image Usage Policy. About the Site |
