Where did the money of Nicholas II go? The last coins of the last king of Rusa, imperials and semi-imperials

The Russian Emperor Nicholas II ruled the country from 1894 to 1917 and during this short time many coins were minted in Russia. Today, many numismatic items from this period are considered quite rare. A noteworthy event of the reign of this emperor is that his portrait was minted not only on large denomination coins, but also a silver coin of 25 kopecks has his image. On all coins minted during the period 1894-1918, and where there is an image of the emperor, his profile is turned to the left.

As for the coins of small denominations, they do not have the image of the king, and this happened for two reasons:

1. Small denomination coins are too small to have a clear and recognizable image on them.
2. At that time, it was believed that ordinary people should not have coins that depict the king.

During the reign of Nicholas II was successfully implemented monetary reform. It was carried out on the initiative of S. Witte and thanks to her coins of two denominations appeared: 15 rubles, as well as 7 rubles 50 kopecks. Under this king, coins of three different types were issued: copper, silver, and gold. But it should be noted that trial coins were also issued, made of aluminum worth 5 rubles. Trial are 25 kopecks (an alloy of copper and nickel) and 5 kopecks of reduced weight (in 1916 copper became expensive). They are also of great interest to collectors.

Among the gold ones, it should be noted coins worth 5, 10 and 25 rubles (gold coins of 7.50 rubles and 15 rubles were added to them after the reform). Under this emperor, a gold coin of 100 francs was also minted for a long time in Russia, which corresponded to 37.50 rubles.

As for silver coins, during this time coins were issued ranging from 5 kopecks to 1 ruble. Copper coins were minted: 1/4 kopeck, 1/2 kopeck, as well as both 1 kopeck and 2 kopecks, 3 kopecks, 5 kopecks. In addition, a silver coronation ruble was issued in 1896, a commemorative ruble in honor of the opening of the monument to Emperor Alexander II, a silver commemorative ruble in honor of the monument to Alexander III. In honor of the reign of the Romanov dynasty (to the 300th anniversary) and to the anniversary of the victory over Napoleon (100 years), silver coins were also issued. Especially valuable for numismatists is the Gangut ruble, donative coins (issued for the emperor's fund), gold imperials, and also semi-imperials. These are very rare coins and rarely found at auctions.

How much money did the royal family have? Estimates vary: from such that the Romanovs were the richest people of their time to such that they had to save. In any case, I wonder where the money of the royal family went after the revolution.

The richest saint

In 2012, the American portal Celebrity Net Worth ranked the twenty-five richest people of the millennium. In this ranking, Nicholas II was in fifth place in the general list. Celebrity Net Worth estimated his fortune at $300 billion (in today's money). Since the royal family was canonized, Nicholas II is listed as "the richest saint" in the ranking.
Let's make a reservation right away, the American portal does not provide any documents confirming the capital of Nicholas II of 900 million dollars (before recalculation). So let's check the numbers ourselves.

The search for compromising evidence

After the February Revolution, one of the first tasks of the Provisional Government was to discredit the royal family. It was necessary to tell the people about how free and luxurious the life of the tsar and his family was, what fabulous capitals lay in their foreign accounts.

The first head of the Provisional Government, Prince Georgy Lvov, took up the matter. Most of the Cabinet officials were loyal to the new government, so they didn't have to look for a long time. In 1920, during an interrogation in the case of the execution of the royal family, which was conducted by the investigator for especially important cases at the Omsk District Court Nikolai Sokolov, Prince Lvov recalled: “The issue of funds belonging to the Royal Family was also resolved. The family, of course, had to live on their own means. The government was to bear only those expenses which were caused by its own measures against the Family. Their personal means were found out. They turned out to be small.

In one of the foreign banks, counting all the funds of the Family, there were 14 million rubles. They didn't have anything else."

In the book of the historian Igor Zimin “Royal money. Income and expenses of the Romanov family ”is given the following alignment: on May 1, 1917, the royal family had: in interest-bearing papers - 12,110,600 rubles; on current accounts - 358,128 rubles 27 kopecks, in cash - 3083 rubles. 42 kopecks. Total amount: 12,471,811 rubles 69 kopecks. At the dollar rate of that time (1/11) - 1.13 million dollars.

Anonymous reports

In August 1917, a book by an anonymous author, The Fall of the Romanovs, was published in Petrograd. The identity of the anonymous person has not been established, but it is obvious that he was close to the Commissar of the Provisional Government Golovin, who was responsible for clarifying information about the capital of the royal family.

This book contains the following figures for the personal funds of the august family: Nicholas II - 908,000 rubles; Alexandra Fedorovna - 1,006,400 rubles; Tsesarevich - 1,425,700 rubles; Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna - 3,185,500 rubles; Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna - 2,118,500 rubles; Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna - 1,854,430 rubles; Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna - 1,612,500 rubles. Total: 12,111,030 rubles.

As can be seen, the royal family did not have any millions of dollars according to these estimates, although the author of The Fall of the Romanovs also wrote about mysterious accounts in foreign banks. What are these accounts?

Accounts in foreign banks

Did the royal family have accounts in foreign banks? The answer to this question is best sought in the writings of researchers, and not on American sites with dubious data sources.

The most serious study on this topic was carried out by the British historian and financier of the City, William Clark, author of the bestseller The Lost Treasures of the Kings.

He found out that the family of Alexander III kept large sums in the Bank of England. Nikolai Aleksandrovich, who ascended the throne in 1894, decided to close foreign accounts for an obvious reason: the country at that time was forced to resort to foreign borrowing, which created a rather absurd situation: the tsar gave money to the Russian Empire at a solid percentage. At that time, closing an account and transferring funds was not an easy task, so the process dragged on for six whole years.

Historian Oleg Budnitsky, who was searching for information about the royal accounts in foreign banks, found a folder in one of the English archives with the telling title "On the foreign property of the late emperor." It contained stories on this topic by persons who were directly related to the finances of the Russian Empire.

Prince Sergei Gagarin, who worked in the Ministry of the Court, said: “During the unrest in Russia in 1905-1906, by order of the minister of the imperial court, sums belonging to the august children of the sovereign emperor were transferred abroad in the amount of, it seems, about 4-4.5 million rubles. These funds were formed by accumulating appropriations allocated, according to the fundamental laws, for the maintenance of the children of the reigning emperor. This money was deposited in Mendelssohn's banking house in Berlin.

Gagarin, thus, directly says that in 1905 Nicholas II transferred funds intended for children abroad.

Uget, one of the managers of the funds of the Russian emigration, Uget, wrote about the accounts in Mendelssohn’s German bank: “As far as I know, only the Mendelssohns in Berlin had small deposits in Russian interest-bearing papers made by the empress in the name of each of her children. If I am not mistaken, the face value of each of the deposits was 250,000 rubles.

"Anastasia" and commission

The question of foreign accounts of Nicholas II was forced to be raised already in the 20s, in connection with the appearance in Germany of the first "Anastasia", who spoke about the money allegedly due to her.

The Russian emigration was agitated by this "resurrection". There were many former officials and close associates of the august family in Europe. In the end, it was decided to convene a commission and once and for all come to an agreement on a sensitive issue.

Such a commission was assembled on February 26, 1929. Her verdict was unequivocal: "The Sovereign Emperor and his august family did not have any property abroad, except for the small capital of the sovereign's daughters, about one million marks each, in Mendelssohn's bank in Berlin."

Former adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Boris Nolde, stressed that in connection with the First World War, "these amounts were sequestered and then, unclaimed, were probably subjected to all the consequences of inflation and turned into nothing."

In March 1930, the minutes of this meeting were published in the Parisian newspaper Vozrozhdenie.

heirs

In 1934, the court of the Central District of Berlin recognized the heirs of the royal money. They were Grand Duchess Xenia and Olga, Countess Brasova, and relatives of the late princesses along the line of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

As Boris Nolde said, inflation has devalued deposits. The court issued official papers for the right to inherit only four years after the determination of the heirs, in 1938. The amount was really ridiculous: less than 25 thousand pounds. Divided among all the heirs, these funds represented almost nothing. Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna did not even begin to take her share.

The last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, left behind a huge country with millions of inhabitants holding various samples of coins from the imperial era. Soon all these coin products will lead to depreciation in trade and market transactions. They are replaced by new ones - Soviet ones. For numismatists, many silver coins of Nicholas 2 have been of great interest for a whole century. The most curious samples and the current cost of their options will tell this material.

All monetary units issued under Emperor Nicholas II dated 1895-1917. Most of the coins were kopecks, and the highest denomination was the Nikolaev silver ruble. The production of ruble monetary units went only when using 900 silver samples.

During the entire period of the reign of the sovereign, only minor changes were traced in the image of the portrait of the emperor. Having replaced his father, Alexander III, on the throne, the parameters of the portrait were preserved, only the turn, which shifted to the west, changed (Alexander 3 looked to the east). Nicholas 2 issued 1 ruble from the beginning of the reign until 1915. Outwardly, he did not differ radically, he was the same, for example, as the ruble of 1898 or the ruble of 1899.

Coins in denominations, although similar in many respects, still have some features. Here, for example, is the very first ruble coin of 1985:

• reverse - an image of a double-headed eagle (symbol of the empire), with a scepter in the right paw, orb - in the left. Under the relief eagle, the denomination of the monetary unit and the year of issue;
• obverse - portrait of Nicholas II throughout the center, on the left along the circumference the inscription "B. M. NICHOLAS II", on the right - "AND THE AUTOcrat OF ALL RUSSIA";
• product weight - 20 grams;
• diametrical size - 33.65 mm;
• circulation amounted to about 1.1 million items;
• the side surface is “pure silver 4 spools 21 shares” and the initials of the author “A.G.”, items with a smooth edge were less common.

The ruble of 1896 already has a greater number of varieties due to the expansion of the minting zone by the Paris Mint and the Brussels Mint. The maximum ruble coin of this year is similar to the ruble of 1898 in that they have a 180 degree alignment, which is not observed in the rest. Here are the differences between the side inscriptions of the ruble:

• smooth edge;
• with two asterisks instead of the inscription (Brussels Mint);
• standard inscription as on the 1895 model.

Its circulation amounted to more than 10 million copies. This year was distinguished by the original issue of a special kind - the 1896 ruble "Coronation", on the reverse of which there is no image of an eagle, but only a scepter crossed with an orb.

The silver ruble of 1898 with the same parameters adds another look, where instead of an inscription on the edge there is one asterisk.

The ruble of 1899 is beginning to be supplemented by other initials printed on the side of the product - E B or F Z. This happened due to the change of stamps at the St. Petersburg Mint. Similarly to previous monetary units, the ruble of 1899 was erroneously minted with a smooth edge.

Table of comparative evaluation of ruble coin items of good preservation:

Nikolay 2 penny coins Thus, the price of the product depends not only on the type of coin, but also on the circulation. The ruble of 1899 and the previous one were minted in much larger quantities, so the price tag is lower. In any case, any well-preserved silver ruble of Nicholas 2 is of excellent value at auction among both amateurs and professionals.

The pennies issued under the emperor were divided into 3 categories:

1. Billon - the base of the coin alloy consisted of 500 silver, such products had the following denominations:
   • 5 kopecks;
   • 10 kopecks;
   • 15 kopecks;
   • 20 kopecks.
2. Silver - 25 and 50 kopeck monetary units were made from the highest standard of silver (900).
3. Copper - the smallest change money items were made from a copper alloy: 1, 2, 3-kopeck coins.

Images of coins of 50 and 25 kopecks were identical to ruble copies, repeating the portrait of the autocrat on the obverse and the coat of arms on the reverse.

Many coins ceased to be issued in 1915, but, for example, a half-fifty was minted from 1895 to 1901. The price of coins issued during the last year of minting reaches 200 thousand rubles apiece due to a limited circulation, with a cost of only 150 rubles.

Small change copper copies had a mass circulation, outwardly they had a distinct coat of arms of the empire on the reverse, but on ½ and ¼ and 1-kopeck coins, the reverse side was decorated with the signature monogram of Nicholas II. On the 2 kopeck coin, the silver monogram replaces the coat of arms.

You can find out how much a certain penny monetary unit costs at numerous online auctions. 900 silver coins are much easier to sell, even considering the cost price. The price tag of such products is ten times, sometimes even a hundred times higher than the cost of copper or samples of 500 samples.

Here is a comparative table of the cost of different-sized monetary units, depending on the denomination of 1901:

Comparative table of penny products 1917: The final year of imperial power was marked by hard times, the minting of coins was suspended. Only a few samples left the mint: 10, 15, 20 kopeck copies. Naturally, the price category of such coins is very high. Coins issued from 1915 to 1917 were distinguished by the absence of mint initials and a small form of issue due to the First World War.

Special Editions

There are coins made by special Proof minting, which give the coins a special background shade - either a mirror or a smooth darkened one. They were made mainly for professional collectors. Currently, it is extremely rare to find unique items at auctions.

The reign of Nicholas 2 was filled with many anniversary and significant events of the period of the Russian empire. In honor of such memorable dates, special coins were minted, personifying a certain incident:

A wide variety of silver coins from the era of the reign of the last Russian emperor attracts many historians, numismatists, and amateurs from all over the world. The difficult political situation in the country at the beginning of the 20th century limited the minting of monetary items. The multi-million issue of coins of the end of the 19th century is several times lower than the metal money of the beginning of the 20th. However, there are very rare coins, issued in limited quantities, almost never found in free auction. In any case, the Nikolaev monetary products from silver only become more expensive over time.

Both in Soviet times and now they write a lot about the "rottenness" and "bloodyness" of the autocracy, a lot. It was so backward and bloody that it was just a nightmare! And no one cares that under the Bolsheviks, Russians were executed 150 times more than under the last tsar. Well, Nicholas II, indeed, was not an ideal ruler and made a lot of mistakes, but let's look at some facts. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire achieved truly outstanding successes in its development. Industry and agriculture grew rapidly, and only under Nicholas II was the Russian ruble recognized by the whole world as a hard currency. You can surf the Internet and libraries, spend many hours, but still you will not find another historical period when the Russian ruble would be freely and so eagerly accepted abroad.

Nicholas II and General Brusilov in 1915

Prices under the last Emperor Nicholas II:
A loaf of fresh rye bread (450 grams) - 2-4 kopecks,
Old crop potatoes (1 kg) - 5 kopecks,
Rye flour (1 kg) - 6 kopecks,
A bucket of tomatoes - 8 kopecks,
Sugar (1 kg) - 20-25 kopecks,
Fresh milk (1 liter) - 5-10 kopecks,
Egg (ten) - 10-25 kopecks,
Pork meat (1 kg) - 25-30 kopecks,
Sturgeon (1kg) - 80 kopecks.

The average salary of a worker in Russia under the tsar was 37.5 rubles. We multiply this amount by 1282.29 (the ratio of the exchange rate of the royal ruble to the modern one) and we get the amount of 48085 thousand rubles for modern conversion. During the monetary reform, which was carried out by the government of Nicholas II in 1897-1899 under the leadership of S. Witte, the gold ruble was put into circulation. It contained about 0.77 grams of pure gold. At the beginning of the 20th century, the royal gold ruble was a very significant monetary unit on the world market. If we compare the ratios of the currencies of that time, then the tsarist ruble contained about twice as much gold as the mark and the franc, was commensurate with the British pound, and was only twice as “lighter” in relation to the American dollar. And they accepted the autocratic ruble throughout Europe with great joy. Even Russian banknotes were changed without any problems in any bank in Berlin, Vienna, Rome or Paris, and as for the “saffron milk caps” (gold Nikolaev coins of 5 and 10 rubles each), they were taken in small shops, and even without exchange for local money , and even 2-3 times higher than the official exchange rate - 1 gold ruble at the beginning of the 20th century. was equal to 2.667 French. francs.

The very famous royal gold chervonets, colloquially "ginger"

The basis of the fortress of the financial system of the Russian Empire under Nicholas II was:
1. Increase in gold mining in the Urals and Siberia. The record figure was reached in 1914 - 66,521.7 kg;
2. A sharp increase in exports - agricultural products (grains, butter, meat, honey, dairy products, etc.); petroleum products (kerosene and lubricating oils); etc.
3. The introduction of a state monopoly on vodka and tobacco, and a significant increase in prices and taxes (excises) on them. By 1914, the excise tax on vodka gave 1 billion gold. rub. from the entire state budget of the empire in 3.5 billion;
4. The rapid pace of industrialization - between 1890 and 1913. Russian industry quadrupled its productivity. Its income not only almost equaled the income from agriculture, but the goods covered almost 4/5 of the domestic demand for manufactured goods. During the last four years before the First World War, the number of newly founded joint-stock companies increased by 132%, and the capital invested in them almost quadrupled. In 1900 Russia ranked 4th in the world in terms of world industrial production, its share was 9%. The high rates of development of the Russian economy were comparable only to those of the United States. In 1913, one of the most important economists in the world, Edmond Théry, on the instructions of the French government, studied the state of the Russian economy and concluded: “If the affairs of the European nations continue from 1912 to 1950 in the same way as they went from 1900 to 1912, Russia by the middle of this century will dominate Europe, both politically and economically and financially.”
During the period 1900-1913, state revenue doubled (from 1,736,700,000 to 3,431,200,000 rubles) while spending increased only 1.8 times, which made it possible to achieve a sustainable budget surplus. As of the beginning of the First World War, the state gold reserves of the Russian Empire were the largest in the world. And best of all, the effectiveness of the Russian government and the growth of the well-being of the people showed a rapid increase in the population: from 1897 to 1914, that is, in just 17 years, the growth amounted to 50.5 million people! If such rates of population growth were maintained, then by 2000. about 425 million people would live in Russia.

In 1917, the ruble was cursed ... The liberals who overthrew the tsar were replaced by the Bolsheviks, the Bolsheviks reformed into communists, then the liberals came again, but none of them could make the ruble respected in the world and freely convertible currency. Maybe he could do some magic - call the tsarist finance ministers Witte and Kokovtsov from the other world, ask them - how to make the ruble a stable and respected currency in the world? Somehow they managed without oil and gas revenues... And a penny under the tsars was money!

Dear people, Professionals with a capital letter:
Sergei Yulievich Witte - from 1892 to 1903. Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire

Vladimir Nikolaevich Kokovtsov - from 1904 to 1914. Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire

Sources:
What could be bought under the king for a penny?

The numismatics of Tsarist Russia ceased to exist along with the revolution of 1917. The state system fell, Emperor Nicholas 2, together with his family, was shot, and real devastation reigned in the country for a long time.

However, before the last coin of the Russian Empire was minted with a stamp with the profile of Nicholas 2, many interesting and rather strange events took place in the world of numismatics, the consequences of which became the subject of close attention of collectors. Nikolaev imperials, semi-imperials, the famous gold tens, the last royal gold piece, commemorative and jubilee silver rubles, as well as incredible numismatic nonsense that appeared during the reign of the last Russian tsar - just about coins of Nicholas 2 today will be discussed.

Silver coins of Nicholas 2

The return of the emperor's profile to coins

Beginning with Peter the Great (1700-1725), in tsarist Russia there was a tradition of minting the profile of the emperor or empress on silver and gold coins of large denominations (Polupoltina, Poltina, Ruble, etc.). This tradition existed for quite a long time, until Paul I (1796-1801). The last coins with the profile of the Empress were minted in 1796. After the death of Empress Catherine 2 in 1796, Paul I came to the throne, whose appearance was not liked by anyone, including himself. After Paul I did not approve the trial ruble with his profile, the tradition of minting portrait coins ceased for a century. Only sometimes on commemorative coins, issued in a small circulation, did the profile of Alexander 1, Alexander 2 and Nicholas 1 meet.

During the reign of Alexander 3 (1881-1894), portraits of the emperor began to appear again on regular minted coins. This happened for the first time in 1886. Then the portraits of Alexander 3 were minted on silver coins of large denominations, starting from 25 kopecks. Portraits were not applied to coins of smaller denominations, since it was believed that they were used by the “niello”. The portrait of the king should not be in servile pockets and fall into hardened dirty hands.

Nicholas 2 finally revived the tradition of minting portrait coins of large denominations, starting with the coronation ruble. All gold and silver coins of Nicholas 2, starting from 25 kopecks became portrait.

Commemorative and commemorative coins of Nicholas II

During the reign of Nicholas 2, several silver commemorative and commemorative coins were issued, which went down in the history of numismatics. Among them, the memorable coronation ruble of 1896.

The portrait for the coronation ruble was made by the artist Anton Vasyutinsky, who happened to create portraits of the last tsar, and after the revolution, portraits of Lenin for Soviet coins and medals.

The circulation of the silver coronation ruble amounted to 190 thousand copies minted by May 1896 and were presented to all participants in the coronation. They were kept carefully and passed on as a memory from generation to generation. Therefore, quite a lot of coronation rubles in perfect condition have survived to this day. In connection with this, the cost of the coronation ruble of Nicholas 2 today it is only no more than 400-500 dollars, although in some cases, for example, if the coin is in perfect condition, its price reaches up to 2 thousand dollars.

Also distinguished from the total mass commemorative ruble of 1898 from silver for the opening of the monument to Alexander 2 in Moscow in 1893. The circulation of the coin was 5 thousand copies, repeating the small medal by A. Grikhilis Jr., who carved the large and small medals with a portrait of Alexander 3 on the front side, and on the reverse side - a statue of Alexander 2, installed in the new pavilion of the Kremlin Memorial. The cost of a commemorative ruble of 1898 today it is 3-4 thousand dollars, sometimes reaching up to 12 thousand dollars.

In 1912 it was minted and put into circulation. silver commemorative ruble and several medals in honor of the opening of a large monument to Alexander 3 near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The circulation of this commemorative ruble was 2,000 copies. Medium silver ruble value, dedicated to the opening of the monument to Alexander 3, today is 7-12 thousand dollars, sometimes reaching up to 22 thousand dollars.

Both monuments were subsequently destroyed, and their images remained only on commemorative rubles and medals.

The centenary of the victory over Napoleon became the most significant date during the reign of Nicholas 2. For this celebration, a silver commemorative ruble, minted with stamps made by M. Skudnov with the inscription “This glorious year has passed, but the deeds committed in it will not pass.”

The exact circulation of the issue is unknown, but in 1912 about 40 thousand coins were minted, in addition, the minting of a silver commemorative ruble dedicated to the centenary of the victory over Napoleon continued in 1913. Price this commemorative coin the average is 1-1.5 thousand dollars, reaching in some cases up to 5 thousand dollars.

In 1913, the 300th anniversary of the imperial house of the Romanovs was celebrated, in honor of which they were also minted and put into circulation. silver commemorative rubles. The circulation of the anniversary ruble of 1913 was so huge that today its auction price averages only 50-70 dollars and very rarely reaches 300 dollars.

In honor of the 200th anniversary of the first naval victory of Russia at Gangut in 1714, a silver commemorative ruble was issued, known today as Gangut ruble. Also, in honor of this significant event, a military parade was to take place, at which each of its participants would receive a commemorative Gangut ruble, but the First World War began and the parade did not take place. The Gangut ruble of 1914 was the last commemorative coin of Tsarist Russia.

The stamp for the Gangut ruble was made by P. Stadnitsky. On one side of the Gangut ruble, a portrait of Peter the Great is minted, on the other, a double-headed eagle holding four cards in its beaks and paws, personifying the four Russian seas - Azov, Baltic, White, Caspian, and under Emperor Nicholas II - Baltic, White , Black and Pacific Ocean.

Initially, the circulation of the Gangut ruble was 30 thousand copies. 6 coins were reserved for VIPs, including a coin prepared for transfer to the State Hermitage Museum. There is also an assumption that several dozen more copies were set aside for gifts, and the rest of the coins were sent to the treasury of the mint. There, having lain for about a year, for a still unknown reason, the circulation was sent for remelting.

In 1916, another 300 copies of the Gangut ruble were minted. 135 were given to various officials, the rest were sent to the reserve of the mint. Currently Gangut rubles, appearing at auctions are either copies of 1916 minting, or Soviet replicas of 1927, minted by order of the Soviet Philatelic Association. Soviet remakes are very difficult to distinguish from the originals.

The cost of the Gangut ruble today it can be 5-7 thousand dollars. However, there are copies that cost up to 42 thousand dollars.

Gold coins of Nicholas 2

Russ, imperials and semi-imperials

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. Reducing the weight of precious metals or fineness is a common practice during currency reforms. This allows you to receive additional income to the state treasury.

It was in those years that an attempt was made to change the name of the national currency of the Russian Empire. Instead of the name "ruble", it was planned to introduce the name " rus". In preparation for the reform, trial coins were minted in denominations of 5, 10 and 15 rus. Only five trial sets consisting of three coins. However, Nicholas 2 did not approve the Rus, and therefore, the circulation was not minted. Today, Russ are extremely rare coins.

Of the five test sets of russes minted, three sets are in museums, one set is broken into pieces, and only one private collection has a complete set of ruses, consisting of three coins. At one of the American numismatic auctions held a few years ago, a complete set of Russians was sold for $200,000. Today, such a kit can cost even more, in the region of 350 - 500 thousand dollars.

During the Nikolaev monetary reform, in 1895-1897, gold coins of different weights were minted. For example, in the new lightweight "Nikolaev" weight, gold 15 rubles and 7 rubles 50 kopecks were minted, in the old, "Alexander" weight, gold imperials(10 rubles in gold) and semi-imperials(5 rubles in gold).

Often, novice numismatists call ordinary Nikolaev coins with a face value of 10 rubles imperials, but on a true imperial there is a corresponding inscription - “Imperial”. Real imperials were minted for three years, from 1895 to 1897, the annual circulation was 125 imperials. In fact, in numismatic circles, this is not so small, but for some unknown reason, these coins disappear somewhere, since they appear very rarely at numismatic auctions. Today the cost of imperials fluctuates around 45 - 50 thousand dollars, and sometimes reaches up to 250 thousand dollars. In many ways, such a spread in prices can be explained by the dependence of the value of the coin on its condition. Coins in UNC condition are valued much higher.

Semi-imperials also issued for three years, from 1895 to 1897. However, their circulation was much smaller and amounted to 36 copies annually. Semi-imperials are found in the collection circulation even less often than imperials, but, as a rule, at the same price as imperials. Human psychology is to blame here, and collectors are no exception - a large coin should cost more.

Unusual coin 7 rubles 50 kopecks

In 1897, coins of a very unusual denomination for Tsarist Russia were minted and put into circulation - 15 rubles and 7 rubles 50 kopecks. At the same time, the weight of the coin of 15 rubles of 1897 was equal to the weight of the old "Alexander" coin with a face value of 10 rubles. The circulation of 15 rubles of 1897 was 12 million copies, and the coins of 7 rubles 50 kopecks of 1897 - almost 17 million copies.

Price of these coins today is small - 15 rubles are valued at around $400, and 7 rubles 50 kopecks - around $300. But there were cases when 15 rubles in 1897 were sold at auction for $ 2,500, and 7 rubles 50 kopecks in 1897 for $ 900 and even more. Again, it all depends on the condition of the coin.

Rare coins of Nicholas 2

Among the rare coins of Nicholas 2 stand out 10 rubles 1906, the circulation of which, according to official documents, was only 10 copies. Of course, this coin is rare and expensive, its auction price may amount to 15-20 thousand dollars, and at one of the auctions of the Russian Numismatic House, a copy of this coin in PROOF condition was sold for 200 thousand dollars.

Of undoubted interest are gold donative (gift) coins denomination of 25 rubles - 2.5 imperials of 1896 and 1908. These coins were minted for the personal gift fund of Nicholas 2. The dates of their minting suggest that 25 rubles in 1896 were minted specifically for the coronation, and 25 rubles in 1908 - for the 40th anniversary of Nicholas 2. In size, donative coins resembled the popular one in those years, a gold French coin with a face value of 100 francs.

The weight of a gold coin with a face value of 25 rubles is 32.26 grams, which is equal to the weight of gold in two and a half dozen "Aleksandrovsky" samples. For 25 rubles in 1896, this weight is quite normal, then there was a reform, but for 25 rubles in 1908, this weight is already a little strange. Price of donated coins can reach 120-170 thousand dollars.

Following the donative (gift) coins, one can single out a completely unusual, unparalleled, gold coin with a denomination of 37 rubles 50 kopecks - 100 francs 1902. According to some assumptions, in this way, Nicholas 2 wanted to commemorate the Franco-Russian union, however, another part of numismatists is more inclined to believe that 37 rubles 50 kopecks - 100 francs were intended for use in the casino system.

This coin should be taken as nonsense of the Russian monetary system, and not as a coin for circulation. To date, a coin of 37 rubles 50 kopecks - 100 francs of 1902 is very rare, expensive and popular not only because of its rarity, but also because of its beauty. Auction price of this coin can vary from 40 to 150 thousand dollars.

The last royal gold chervonets of Nicholas 2

The last royal gold Nikolay's chervonets 2(10 ruble coin) was minted and put into circulation in 1911. Ten-ruble coins in Tsarist Russia were minted almost every year in huge circulations, and, it seems, should not be of particular interest to numismatists.

However, as practice shows, the official circulation statistics of the issue in the documents of the mint reflect the number of copies released from the mint, and not the number of minted ones. Thus, the circulation indicated in the catalog may not correspond to the number of coins that were first in circulation, and then entered the collection circulation.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the numbers indicated in the catalogs reflect the truth - how many coins are minted, so many coins are put into circulation. But in this situation, as well as in any other, there are exceptions. There are coins, the circulation of which according to the catalog was huge, but they are not found in circulation, and vice versa. This situation can be explained by the fact that mints put into circulation coins that were minted earlier, but were not in demand and, as a result, ended up in a warehouse and lain there for a year or even several years.

The last year, 1911, of minting royal gold coins presented collectors with a large number of mysteries. Gold coins of this year of issue are very common, while the mintage indicated in the documents is very small. As a result, collectors buy the last royal gold Nikolay's chervonets 2(symbol of the 20th century) at the price of gold spent to issue this coin.

The fact is that there are a large number of replicas and fakes of the last royal gold gold piece Nicholas 2 of the 1911 model. Numismatists have several legends regarding their origin, but no serious research has been conducted regarding the origin of remakes and fakes of 1911. Such studies are carried out in cases where we are talking about fairly rare and expensive coins, for which the coin 10 rubles 1911 not applicable. Therefore, the almost worthless Nikolaev ten is shrouded in a continuous veil of secrecy.

The stamps of the obverse and reverse sides of the coin of 10 rubles of 1911 were definitely taken out by someone from the mint. But who did it and when? There are three possible answers to this question:

1. The original stamps came to Kolchak, who massively minted the gold chervonets of Nicholas 2 of the 1911 sample.

2. The stamps fell into the hands of the Soviet government, which in 1925-1927 issued 2 million gold tens for foreign trade, as the West refused to accept Soviet money.

3. Stamps may have been taken abroad, or new ones were made, and gold tens were minted in the 20s. However, it is worth noting that these were no longer replicas, but counterfeit coins. But all the same, gold in the coins of Tsarist Russia always costs more than ordinary gold bullion, and therefore it is more profitable to sell it.

Here it is also necessary to add that someone uses the stamps of 1911 for minting the gold chervonets of Nicholas 2 and at the present time. But who does it is unknown. Chasing from the "left" gold of the royal dozens is a very profitable business. Specialists to this day meet with similar coins. Of course, they can distinguish them from genuine ones, but it is worth noting that the weight and purity of the gold sample are observed by scammers very accurately, as a result of which the coins are of very high quality.

Today coin value 10 rubles 1911 is 600-800 dollars, sometimes less, sometimes more. It all depends on the state of a particular instance.

Trial coins of Nicholas 2

To reduce the cost of coin production, in 1911 the tsarist government planned to carry out a monetary reform and replace the silver token with copper-nickel. Trial copper-nickel coins were even minted in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 25 kopecks. However, the reform did not take place. However, today these coins are sometimes found at numismatic auctions.

During the First World War, in 1916, tsarist Russia experienced an acute shortage of copper. To reduce the deficit of this non-ferrous metal, an attempt was made to carry out another monetary reform, which, however, did not take place. In the course of the reform, it was planned to reduce the weight of copper coins with denominations of 1, 2, 3 and 5 kopecks, and direct the resulting copper to the needs of the army and navy. Trial specimens were minted, which today are very rare. However, things did not go further, the revolution that took place in the country did not allow the government to carry out this reform.

At one of the numismatic auctions of the firm "Coins and Medals" several years ago, a lot of 6 copper coins of 1916 was presented, which was then estimated at 20-22 thousand dollars. Today auction price each instance of these trial coins is 7-10 thousand dollars, and in some cases, when a particular instance is in perfect condition, it can reach 40 thousand dollars.

There was another, so-called "reform" in the early 30s of the last century. Then the tsarist silver half-rubles and rubles with an octagonal brand began to appear right on the portrait of Nicholas 2 - “The Deposition of the Romanov House”. These overmarks were stamped on genuine coins in a privately barbaric manner and, oddly enough, gained some popularity at auctions. At one of the auctions held in Germany a few years ago, where a coin with the barbaric mark “Deposition of the House of Romanov” was exhibited, he showed that its value could reach 2,500 German marks (approximately 1,250 euros).

Conclusion

Of course, not all coins of Nicholas 2 included in this review. I stopped only on the most significant and important specimens from my point of view. If you start to describe all the coins of that time, then it can take a whole year. And so the review turned out to be quite large. And the period of the reign of the last Russian emperor has not yet been very well studied, so most of the discoveries have yet to be made. And I, some other time, will definitely return to the coins of Nicholas 2.