The beginning of the minting of Russian coins under which prince. The most ancient coins of Russia. Coins of other principalities
These were the first coins minted in Kievan Rus at the end of the 10th century, then - at the beginning of the 11th century, they were issued in small quantities and for a short time, therefore they did not have great influence on monetary circulation but represent a peculiar group of cultural monuments Ancient Russia.
Under Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich in 988, Christianity became the official religion in Russia. In the cities, the oldest of which were Kyiv, Novgorod, Ladoga, Smolensk, Murom, handicrafts were actively developed, as well as trade with the southern and western Slavs, peoples of other countries. This led to the production of the first own coins from gold and silver.
The first Russian gold and silver coins were called gold coins and silver coins, respectively. In diameter, the zlatniks reached 24 mm, and in terms of weight they were equated to the Byzantine solid - about 4.2 g. Subsequently, the zlatnik became a Russian unit of weight called the spool (4.266 g). Coin cups for minting were cast in folding molds, which explains the presence of noticeable casting defects on the gold pieces and a significant discrepancy in weight. For the manufacture of pieces of silver, silver from Arab coins was used.
Golden coins and silver pieces were mintedcommon stamps. Obverse: Half-length depiction of the prince, probably seated (judging by the bent small legs under the figure); in a raincoat fastened on the chest, in a hat with pendants and a cross; in the right hand is a cross on a long shaft, the left is pressed to the chest. At the left shoulder is the princely sign - a trident. Around the circular inscription from left to right (occasionally from right to left): VLADIMIR ON THE TABLE (or VLADIMIR AND CE HIS SILVER). Around linear and dotted rims.
Reverse side: Chest image of Jesus Christ indeed, with a cross halo; right hand in a blessing gesture, in the left - the Gospel. Around the circular inscription from left to right (occasionally from right to left): ISUS CHRIST (or IC XC under titles). Around linear and dotted rims.
According to experts, the issue of its own coin in Kievan Rus was caused, on the one hand, by the fact that in the economy of the ancient Russian state in the second half of the 10th century. the lack of silver coins became noticeable due to the reduction in the supply of Arab dirhams, on the other hand, political motives, since the presence of its own coin served the task of glorifying the Kyiv state and asserting its sovereignty, as evidenced by the appearance of these coins. Despite the fact that they had significant differences (there are about 11 design options), the obligatory attributes were the image on the front side of the seated Grand Duke of Kyiv with a halo over his head, a long cross in his right hand and pressed to his chest with his left, and on the back - the image of Jesus Christ, which in the XI century. was replaced by a kind of state emblem in the form of a trident (the so-called family sign of the Ruriks).
On the front side of the most common coins of that time there is an inscription in Old Slavonic letters “VLADIMIR ON THE TABLE”, that is, occupying the throne, ruling, and on the reverse side - “THIS IS HIS SILVER”, which meant: “And this is his money.” For a long time in Russia, the word "silver" ("silver") was synonymous with the word "money". There are also coins with the inscription on the front side "VLADIMIR AND CE HIS SILVER (or GOLD)", and on the back - "JESUS CHRIST".
Gold coins of Prince Vladimir were produced for a little over ten years - until the end of the 10th century. (11 copies are known), and pieces of silver were also in the 11th century, both by Vladimir and his short-term (from 1015 to 1019) successor on the grand prince's throne, the eldest son Svyatopolk the Accursed (78 copies are known). The cessation of the regular influx of oriental silver and the lack of its own raw material base doomed this economic undertaking to a quick end. In total, no more than 350 golden and silver coins of ancient Russia have survived to our time. Including about ten pieces of silver of Yaroslav the Wise, which were minted in Novgorod, where he ruled until he seized the throne of Kyiv in 1019. George. On the reverse side there is an inscription "Yaroslavl Silver" around the image of the prince's sign in the form of a trident with a circle on the middle prong.
|
Kyiv hryvnia |
Novgorod hryvnia |
2. Hryvnia, ruble, half
The hryvnia, in the non-monetary period from the 11th to the 15th century, corresponded to a certain amount (weight) of the precious metal and was a monetary unit - “silver hryvnia”. It could also be equal to a certain number of identical coins, and in this case it was called “hryvnia kun”. Kunas were called silver coins, Arab dirhems, and later European denarii, which circulated in Russia. In the 11th century, the hryvnia kun consisted of 25 dirhams, which was equal in value to a quarter of the silver hryvnia. Both hryvnias became monetary concepts in Ancient Russia. Silver hryvnia was used for large settlements, foreign dirhams and denarii (kuns) for smaller ones.
In Kievan Rus from the XI century. Kyiv hryvnias were used - hexagonal silver plates, approximately 70-80 mm by 30-40 mm in size, weighing about 140-160 g, which served as a unit of payment and a means of accumulation. However, Novgorod hryvnias, known first in the northwestern Russian lands, and from the middle of the 13th century, had the greatest importance in monetary circulation. - throughout the territory of the ancient Russian state. These were silver sticks about 150 mm long and about 200-210 g in weight.
The ruble was first mentioned in the Novgorod charters of the 13th century and, being the equivalent of a whole hryvnia or half of it. By the 15th century, the ruble became a counting monetary unit, 200 coins of “scales” amounted to 1 ruble. When cutting the Novgorod hryvnia in half, a payment ingot was obtained - a half, which weighed about 100 g and had dimensions of approximately 70x15x15 mm. Such ingots circulated throughout the “no coinage period” from the end of the 11th century. until the middle of the fifteenth century. in the Russian principalities and neighboring lands.
3. Moscow principality
At the beginning of the XIV century. the strengthening of the Moscow principality began, as a result, there was a need for their own money both for the princely treasury (paying tribute to the Tatars, salaries to military people, etc.), and for trade turnover due to the revival of internal and external economic relations. Therefore, the next Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy (1350 - 1389) began to mint his coin.
The name of the Russian coins "denga" was taken from the Mongolian coin "denga". It is known that 200 coins were minted from a weight hryvnia of silver (about 200 g), which made up the Moscow counting ruble (in those days, the ruble did not exist as a real coin). To make money, the hryvnia was pulled into a wire, chopped into small pieces, each of them was flattened and a silver coin weighing about 1 gram was minted.
Under Dmitry Donskoy, money became the main monetary unit of Russia, later, under some rulers, its half part was also issued - half-denga (polushka).
On the front side of the coins, in the middle of the inner ring, there could be an image of a warrior in profile, turned to the right or left, armed with a sword and an ax, as well as a man without weapons, or a rooster. Between the inner and outer rings was the text: "PRINT OF THE GREAT PRINCE" or "PRINT OF PRINCE THE GREAT DMITRY" in old Russian letters. On the reverse side, Arabic script was first placed. The fact that Russia during this period was still under the rule of the Tatars forced Prince Dmitry to mint the name of Khan Toktamysh (Tokhtamysh) next to his name: “SULTAN TOKTAMYSH KHAN. LET IT CONTINUE." In the future, the ligature was preserved, but already became unreadable, and in the end it was replaced by the Russian text.
According to the most common opinion, the term "ruble" comes from the verb "cut": hryvnias of silver were cut into two parts - rubles, which in turn were cut into two more parts - half a ruble. There is also an opinion that the ruble, perhaps, owes its name to an ancient technology, according to which silver was poured into a mold in two stages, and at the same time a seam appeared on the edge. The root "rub", according to experts, means "edge", "border". Thus, the "ruble" can also be understood as "an ingot with a seam."
The weight norm of the first coins of Dmitry Donskoy fluctuated between 0.98-1.03 g. However, already in the mid-80s. 14th century money "feel better" to 0.91-0.95 g, and by the end of his reign, the weight of Moscow silver coins decreased to 0.87-0.92 g.
The minting of such coins was continued by other Grand Dukes, descendants of Dmitry Donskoy. Coins were already issued in many large quantities. On their front side, there were various plot images: a horseman with a falcon on his hand (“falconer”); a rider in a fluttering cloak; a rider with a spear slaying a dragon; rider with a sword; a man with sabers in both hands; a warrior armed with a sword and an axe; a four-legged animal with an upturned tail, and even Samson tearing the mouth of a lion.
In addition to silver coins, in Russia during this period small copper coins were also minted, which were called "pulo". They were made in the princely cities - Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, Tver, and therefore the coins had their own names - Moscow pulo, Tver pulo. The denomination of this coin was so insignificant that from 60 to 70 copper pulos were given for one silver money. Their weight, depending on the place and date of manufacture, could be from 0.7 to 2.5 g.
The first money of Ivan III was minted with a weight of only 0.37-0.40 g, and just like the coins of previous rulers could have a variety of images. Subsequently, the weight of the coins was raised to 0.75 g, and images of animals and birds disappeared from their surface. In addition, during the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich, coins of various principalities were still in circulation, differing from each other both in weight and in design. But the formation of the Muscovite state required the introduction of a single monetary standard, and from now on, the vast majority of Moscow money had on the front side an image of a prince in a large hat (or crown), sitting on a horse, or a rider with a sword in his hand, also symbolizing the Grand Duke of Moscow. On the reverse side, most often, there was an inscription in old Russian letters: "SUPPORT ALL RUSSIA."
4. Ancient national coins of the Russian kingdom
The monetary reform carried out during the reign of Ivan the Terrible was built on the basis of the merger of the two most powerful monetary systems of the end of the period of feudal fragmentation - Moscow and Novgorod. During the reform, the weight of the coin and the images on it were unified.
Now 300 Novgorodkas (their average weight began to be 0.68 g of silver) were minted from the hryvnia of silver, which were equated to money, or 600 Muscovites (the average weight of 0.34 g of silver). It was actually half money, although it was also considered money. 100 Novgorodkas or 200 Muscovites were the Moscow accounting ruble. In addition to him, the counting monetary units were half, hryvnia and altyn. There were 50 Novgorodkas or 100 Muscovites in the poltina, 10 Novgorodkas or 20 Muscovites in the hryvnia, and 3 Novgorodkas or 6 Muscovites in the Altyn. The smallest monetary unit was a polushka (1/4 money) weighing 0.17 g of silver.
On the heavy weight money Novgorod - a horseman with a spear was depicted, and on lighter Muscovites - also a horseman, but only with a saber. Because of this, already in the course of the reform itself, Novgorod was called "penny money", or "penny". The last name, at first little used, turned out to be, in the end, more tenacious than Novgorod, and has come down to our days. The name change made it possible to more logically build a line of denominations: a kopeck (Novgorodka) was equal to two money (Moskovka) or four polushkas.
On the front side of the half-cups there was an image of a bird, and on the back - the text "SOVER". On the reverse side of the remaining coins, the inscription was first minted in old Russian letters "GRAND PRINCE IVAN OF ALL RUSSIA", and after 1547, when Ivan IV Vasilyevich was married to the kingdom, "TSAR AND GRAND PRINCE OF ALL RUSSIA". Naturally, such an inscription could not fully fit on the surface of a coin, the size of which was the size of a watermelon seed, and therefore many words in it were reduced to one letter or, according to the rules of ancient spelling, vowels were omitted in words that were clear to understand. As a result, the inscription on the coins looked like "TSR AND V K IVAN V R" (for a half - "GDAR").
At the same time, they refused to issue copper pools - the new monetary system was based only on silver. Pieces of silver wire served as blanks for money, so the type of finished product of money yards did not have the correct shape and somewhat resembled fish scales. Such "flakes" rarely left a whole impression of round stamps. However, they did not strive for this. The main requirement for new coins was to match the weight. At the same time, Western silver - the main material for minting coins - underwent additional purification in Russia. The money yard accepted silver by weight, carried out a cleansing “coal” or “bone” melt, and only after that minted money. As a result, as experts note, the Muscovite state until the middle of the 17th century. had the highest quality silver coins in Europe.
During the reign of the second son of Ivan IV, Tsar Fedor Ivanovich (1557-1598), the coins of the Moscow State completely retained their weight and design, with only one exception - the inscription on their reverse side (without abbreviations) looked like this: “TSAR AND GRAND PRINCE FYODOR OF ALL RUSSIA" or "TSAR AND GRAND DUKE FYODOR IVANOVICH OF ALL RUSSIA".
It should be added that after the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, the minting of coins of lower denominations (money and a penny), which was less profitable in terms of labor costs, often stopped at long years, while the release of kopecks did not stop under any ruler.
A special place among the coins issued at the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of Vasily Shuisky, is occupied by a penny and money made of gold. Their appearance is associated with the fact that by 1610 Tsar Vasily Shuisky had exhausted all the reserves of silver in the treasury to pay for Swedish mercenary troops. Under these conditions, the Money Order found a very peculiar way out of the situation. The gold kopeck was minted with the same stamps as the silver one, and for the manufacture of gold money, stamps were used that had been preserved since the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich and bearing his name. The rate of gold in relation to silver was set in accordance with the norms of the Trading Book - 1:10, which almost corresponded to the European level. This is how new Russian coins appeared in denominations of 5 and 10 kopecks (10 and 20 money), in design and weight completely corresponding to silver kopecks and money.
5. Russian money of the era of the first Romanovs. 1613 - 1700
During the reign of the new tsar, the entire monetary business was gradually concentrated in the Moscow Kremlin. In 1613 the Yaroslavl and Provisional Moscow Mints stopped working, while the Novgorod and Pskov Mints were closed in the 1920s. 17th century The new Moscow government for the first time since the time of Boris Godunov revived the tradition of minting the entire range of denominations of money (kopek, money, polushka).
On the front side of a penny and money, there were traditionally images of a rider with a spear or saber (sword). On the reverse side of the coins there was a text in old Russian letters with the name and title of the ruling person: “TSAR AND GRAND PRINCE MIKHAIL” (the name of the new tsar could also be written as “Mikhailo” or “Michael”) or “TSAR AND GRAND PRINCE MIKHAIL FEDOROVICH OF ALL RUSSIA” .
Under the next Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, only the inscription on the reverse sides of the coins “TSAR AND GRAND DUKE ALEXEY” was initially replaced in old Russian letters. The appearance of the pillow has changed more significantly. An image of a double-headed eagle crowned with three crowns appeared on its front side, and the inscription “ЦРЬ” was placed on the back. The weight norm of the coins remained the same: a kopeck - 0.48 g, money - 0.24 g and a half-0.12 g.
In 1654, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich made a decision, leaving the old silver kopecks in circulation, in addition to them, to issue a ruble coin, that is, a denomination that had previously been only a counting unit. Thus began a large-scale, but very unsuccessful and difficult in its consequences, attempt to carry out another monetary reform.
For the manufacture of new coin it was planned to use thalers purchased from foreign merchants, and then simply re-mint the images and inscriptions on their surfaces. At the same time, the coin retained the weight and dimensions of the original, which led to the fact that the silver ruble put into circulation was equal to 64 silver kopecks.
On the front side of the ruble, in the middle of the inner ring, there was an image of a rider in a royal hat and with a scepter in his right hand and with his left pressed to his chest. Between the inner and outer ring there was an inscription in old Russian letters: "By GOD'S MERCY, THE GREAT SOVEREIGN, Tsar AND GRAND PRINCE ALEXEY MIKHAILOVICH OF ALL THE GREAT AND SMALL RUSSIA." On the reverse side, against the background of a patterned frame, a double-headed eagle topped with a crown was depicted. Above it, in Old Slavonic letters, the date of minting of the coin “LETA 7162” was indicated (that is, the date was indicated “from the creation of the world”), and below it its denomination - “RUBLE”. The copper half had a similar design, but, of course, on the reverse side there was an indication - "Fifty dollars". Silver half-fifty dollars on the obverse side also had an image of a rider in a royal hat and with a scepter in his hand, only he was surrounded by an ornament in the form of large beads. There was also a textual indication of the denomination of the coin, divided into three parts “POL-POL-TIN”. On the reverse side, a somewhat abbreviated royal title was indicated: "TSAR AND GRAND DUKE ALEXEY MIKHAILOVICH OF ALL RUSSIA." Among the ornament surrounding the inscription, the date of minting of the coin was indicated in old Russian letters - "7162".
It soon turned out that the Moscow Mint, with its backward manual technology, was unable to cope with the task assigned to it. Therefore, the issue of round coins (both silver and copper) of great denomination was discontinued, and small copper coins began to be minted according to the old method - on flattened wire. At the beginning of 1655, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich completely abandoned the use of the inferior silver ruble and half-fifty, and the Russian monetary system almost completely returned to the old set of silver coin denominations - kopeck, money, half. For foreign payments, instead of rubles of Russian coinage, they began to use Western European thalers with overmarks on the front side of the penny and the date 1955 - such coins were popularly called "efimki".
The next step in the same 1655 was the manufacture of copper pennies and money, having the weight of silver money and equal to the latter in price. At the same time, all tax payments were accepted only in silver coins. It continued to be minted in limited quantities only at the Moscow Mint, while the rest began large-scale production of copper.
Copper money in circulation (mostly pennies) gradually fell in price, which led to speculation and negatively affected trade. It got to the point that for 1 ruble of silver they gave 17 rubles of copper. By 1659, silver coins had almost completely disappeared from circulation. From 1661, Russian copper money was completely stopped being accepted in Ukraine, and soon they refused to sell bread on them throughout Russia. Driven to despair, the population in 1662 raised an uprising that went down in history under the name "Copper Riot". And although it was brutally suppressed by the government, already next year, with heavy losses for the budget (although copper money was bought at a rate of 5 to 1 silver kopeck for 1 ruble of copper), a return was made to the "old" silver system that had existed for almost 40 years, before 1700.
It is generally accepted that the beginning of Russian statehood was 882 AD, when the Novgorod prince Oleg and his retinue took the city of Kyiv. It is from this moment that the official history of our state begins. Like other countries, from the very beginning, not only state bodies appeared in Russia, but also money.
The oldest coins found in Russia are Byzantine silver and gold coins.
On the one hand, the portrait of the emperor was depicted on the coin, the other could be occupied by various images, inscriptions and the denomination of the coin. It was this type of coin in Russia that was taken as a model. It is thanks to the Byzantines that we have such a modern type of coin in real Russia.
Eras and rulers, coats of arms and names changed, and Russia developed and flourished, and the coin evolved with it.
The beginning of minting coins directly in Russia leads us, grateful descendants, to Kievan Rus, where “Srebrenik” appears approximately at the end of the 10th century. The Kyiv prince was depicted on the coin, and next to him the coat of arms of the Rurikids - a soaring falcon in the form of a trident.
However, a full-fledged workshop for the production of coins in Russia at that time did not appear. The main monetary unit was a silver ingot called Hryvnia.
In the 13th century, the technique of money production changed. Now coins began to be made from silver wire. From here comes the name “Ruble”, familiar to all of us, from the fact that ingots were “chopped” from wire. The sizes of ingots were different in weight and shape. Moscow and Novgorod issued their own rubles. Coins were made from the ruble.
But it was all handicraft. The first mass coins in Russia began to be made at the beginning of the 15th century in Moscow, then in the Suzdal principality, and then in Ryazan and Tver. The first Moscow coins depicted mainly Dmitry Donskoy, but often there are coins depicting horsemen, warriors with weapons in their hands, animals, both existing and mythical. This was due to the fact that, as such, the mint did not exist, and the coins were produced by silversmiths, who were personally allowed by the prince to mint coins to replenish the coin fund. So coins were minted even by county princes and rich boyars. On the Moscow coins, on the other hand, an inscription in the Tatar language was depicted. The fact is that already at that time Muscovy was actively conquering the markets of the Volga region, where the main language was Tatar, so the money was “multi-lingual”. This paid off, in the second half of the 15th century and before the inclusion of these lands into Russia, the Russian old coin, called “dengo”, simply held leadership in the region and was an analogue of the dollar in the modern world.
With the centralization of the state and the creation of an internal market, money began to be minted only with Russian inscriptions, and the need to distribute money abroad disappeared.
The next milestone in the history of copper money in Russia is considered to be 1534, the year when the monetary reform of Elena Glinskaya ends. Now in Russia they began to mint money of a single state sample. The horseman with a spear was depicted on the coin, hence the new name came from - “penny”. The kopeck became for a long time the largest coin of the Moscow kingdom.
Silver became the only material for the production of money for a long time. Many kings tried to carry out a monetary reform, copper money was also introduced, and Vasily Shuisky even issued the first gold money, but all this was a drop in the ocean and often failed. So, the copper rebellion even received a separate chapter in the textbooks of history and Moscow studies.
The next step in the development of Russian money was made by the reformer Tsar Peter Alekseevich Romanov, better known as Emperor Peter I. In 1704, Peter carried out a monetary reform. Silver ones appear ruble coins, fifty dollars, half fifty dollars, a dime, a patch with the inscription "Ten money" and Altyn, equal to three kopecks.
Now, on one side of the royal coin, a double-headed eagle was depicted - the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, as was customary in all European countries. Since 1730, the coat of arms of the Moscow kingdom - George the Victorious - has appeared on the body of the eagle.
In addition to silver, work was also carried out on a copper coin. The fact is that throughout the reign of Peter I, searches were made for the denomination of a copper coin, so copper coins of this period often changed in weight and shape.
The further development of the coin in Russia was on the rise. Coins became larger in volume, more valuable in weight, the image of emperors became more and more clear and skillful.
With the development of the state, paper money gradually began to appear, the first appeared in the Russian Empire under Mother Empress Catherine II. The final point of minting coins in the Russian Empire was 1917, the First World War, the revolution. The Russian economy of that period was characterized by the phrase I.A. Vyshnegradsky, Minister of Finance of Russia in 1887-1892, “We won’t finish eating, but we’ll take it out.”
In 1915, it came to the point that the tsarist army did not have shells and cartridges, the soldiers of some units were given axes on long sticks to repel the attacks of the Germans and Austrians. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This state of affairs led to a revolution in February 1917, when bourgeois circles took advantage of the situation, and to the Great October Socialist Revolution. The new government quickly realized the need for their own, new money. The coins of the Soviet era will be discussed in another article...
The beginning of minting coins in Russia, 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 that, either dirhems brought by merchants from the East, or Byzantine coins were used for mutual settlements. Natural exchange could also take place. In addition, written sources mention several payment units, most of which the researchers did not agree on.
Payment units of pre-Vladimir Rus
The most famous means of payment of this period is the hryvnia. This name implied a massive silver jewelry 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 grivna kun, kun, nogata, cut, viveritsa (veksha) are mentioned. As to what these words mean, researchers have not come to a consensus. The kuna is sometimes identified with the Arabic dirham, the Western European denarius, or other silver coins. Sometimes it is associated with fur settlements for goods. It is also correlated with the name of the taxes that existed at that time and were called "marten". But one way or another, the hryvnia kuna is the amount of 25 kuna.
Another unit of account was the nogat, which is correlated either with a separate group of Arab dirhams, or with skins and furs. The hryvnia kuna was divided into 20 nogat if necessary. The rezana was 1/2 kuna, and one of the possible physical expressions of this payment unit could well be the trimmings of Arabic dirhams found in ancient Russian treasures.
The smallest denomination was called veksha or viveritsa (squirrel) and was 1/6 kuna or, according to other sources, 1/100 hryvnia. It is quite possible that the ancient system of settlements in fur simply left an imprint in the form of names on the coins put into circulation by merchants.
The first Russian coins
The first coins, which began to be minted at the court of Vladimir the Great, were made of gold and silver and were called gold coins and silver coins, respectively. On the obverse of the coin, the Grand Duke of Kyiv was depicted, 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 Yaroslavl coins, the patron saint of the prince, Yuri the Shining, was depicted.
It is curious 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 appearance of the ruble
After the attack of the Mongol-Tatars, a period of fragmentation began. Kyiv fell, and the minting of single coins in Russia ceased. Ingots of precious metals of various shapes gradually came into circulation. Among them, a single-type rectangular silver ingot with a seam-scar and “chopped 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 dime. The ruble, divided in half, was called a half, into four parts - a quarter. Also, small payment units were made from the ruble - money. Moreover, in Moscow they received 200 money from the ruble, and in Novogorod - 216.
Return of minted coin
Russian coins began to be minted again in the second half of the 14th century. The “specific” period in Russian numismatics begins in the 1380s and is characterized by the appearance of coins minted in separate specific principalities. During this period, local monetary systems began to emerge, which later formed a single one.
For the first time nominal silver money was made in the Grand Duchy of Moscow during the reign of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. Russian old coins of the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod principalities date back to almost the same time. At the very beginning of the XV century. the principality of Tver began to mint its coin, and within 20 years Pskov and Veliky Novgorod caught up with it. Until the end of the first half of the XV century. up to 50 specific rulers began to issue their coins.
The set of monetary signs 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 copper coin the smallest dignity - pula.
In Moscow, at the end of the 14th century, the counting system was as follows: the ruble (ingot) was divided into two half, 10 hryvnias or 33 1/3 altyns. At the same time, half a penny, hryvnia and altyn did not have a monetary expression, they were units of account. But money and half money are minted Russian coins, and their value, in comparison with ingots, was as follows: one ruble was equal to 200 minted money or 400 half money. There are no data on the quantitative ratio of the copper pool to silver coins.
Royal period of numismatics
From 1533 to the end of the 17th century. specific monetary systems merged, forming one, common 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 made in small and large weight. Small coins carried the image of a horseman with a sword and were called sword coins. On large silver money, a spear rider was depicted; they were called spear money. The modern penny originates from the latter. The smallest coin was called a half. It was equal to a quarter of a penny or half a money.
Until the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, Russian coins did not bear the designation of the year of issue. This king was the first who ordered to put a date on a penny.
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 aspects of social life that have fallen 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 a variety of coins of the XIV-XVI centuries. displays the completion of a long process of centralization of disparate principalities.
In addition to its significance for historical science, numismatics is also one of the types of collecting. The first collector of coins in Russia is called Peter I, along with his associate - Alexander Menshikov.
The cost of Russian coins
There are many catalogs listing the currently known Russian coins and their value. However, the price of a particular coin also depends on its safety and general condition.
For example, if the price of a silversmith of Prince Vladimir in a fairly good condition can be more than 250 US dollars, then a badly damaged coin without a few fragments costs much less. That is why the question of how much Russian coins of antiquity cost is the most reasonable to decide in each specific case by the method of an appropriate examination, because we are talking about archaeological value.
In money business and money circulation everything is interconnected. The study of all data of coins goes along with the study of images and inscriptions on them, with an analysis of the names of coins. Reconstruction of ancient monetary and monetary universal systems, identification monetary reforms impossible without the analysis of cash treasures. Consider a few moments from the history of money and coins in Russia.
In Russia, as elsewhere, in the beginning, cattle or animal skins, such as squirrels, sable, martens and other “soft junk,” as furs were called then, served as money in exchange. Russian furs - warm, soft, beautiful - attracted merchants to Russia from both the East and the West at all times.
Russ and cowrie shells were familiar. They were brought to us by overseas merchants who traded with Novgorod and Pskov. And then the Novgorodians themselves spread kauri throughout the Russian land right up to Siberia. In Siberia, cowrie shells were used as money until the 19th century. There, cowries were called "snake head" ...
Before the appearance of their coins, Roman denarii, Arab dirhams, and Byzantine solidus circulated in Russia. In addition, it was possible to pay the seller with fur. From all these things, the first Russian coins arose.
As elsewhere, with the development of trade in Russia, the first metal money appeared. True, at first they were large silver Arab dirhams. We called them kuns. The word is derived from the Latin numismatists cunas, which means forged, made of metal.
When scientists began to figure out the monetary and weight system of Ancient Russia, they encountered difficulties that at first seemed insurmountable. First of all, the variety of names of coins amazed the imagination. Kuna? Well, of course, this is marten, marten skin, which was highly valued, especially in the East.
What is a foot? Maybe it's part of the skin, leg, paw of the animal? A small monetary unit - veksha, or veveritsa, was declared a squirrel skin. Comparison of kuna with marten fur seemed to be very successful. In a number of Slavic languages, kuna also means marten. But some scientists still believed that kunas and nogaty were metal money.
Kuna, in ancient times, was called not only dirhem, but also the Roman denarius, and the denarii of other European states, and even their own Russian silver coin. So, that's what they called money in general. Then the love of money and the love of the coon meant the same thing.
Nogata (from the Arabic "nagd" - good, selected), cut (part of the cut kuna). 25 kunas were hryvnia kunas. What is a hryvnia?
In the ancient Slavic language, the so-called neck, scruff. Then the neck decoration was also called the hryvnia - a necklace. When coins appeared, the necklace began to be made from them. Each took 25 kunas. From here it went: hryvnia kuna, hryvnia silver. Then the hryvnia began to be called silver bars.
Their coins in Russia began to be minted from the end of the 10th century. These were gold pieces and pieces of silver. They depicted the Grand Duke of Kyiv and a trident - the family sign of the princes of Rurik, it is also the emblem of Kievan Rus.
Numismatists learned about these coins by examining finds in the hoards of the 9th-12th centuries. This made it possible to restore the picture monetary circulation in Ancient Russia. And before that, it was believed that Russia did not have its own money. Another thing is that golden coins and pieces of silver disappeared from circulation during the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols. Because at the same time, trade itself died out.
At that time, cowrie shells were used for small calculations, and for large ones, heavy silver ingots - hryvnias. In Kyiv, hryvnias were hexagonal, in Novgorod - in the form of bars. Their weight was about 200 grams. Novgorod hryvnia eventually became known as rubles. At the same time, half a ruble appeared.
How were they made - rubles and fifty? .. The master melted silver in a hot oven and then poured it into molds. He poured it with a special spoon - a lyachka. One lyachka of silver - one casting. Therefore, the weight of rubles and fifty was kept quite accurately. Gradually, Novgorod rubles spread throughout all Russian principalities.
Silversmith
The first coin minted in Russia was called a silver coin. Even before the baptism of Russia, during the reign of Prince Vladimir, it was cast from the silver of Arab dirhams, in which an acute shortage began to be felt in Russia. Moreover, there were two designs of silversmiths. At first, they copied the image of the Byzantine coins of the solidi: on the front side was depicted a prince sitting on a throne, and on the back - Pantokrator, i.e. Jesus Christ. Soon silver money was redesigned: instead of the face of Christ, the trident of the Rurikovich family began to be minted on the coins, and a legend was placed around the portrait of the prince: “Vladimir is on the table, and behold his silver” (“Vladimir is on the throne, and this is his money”).
Zlatnik
Along with the silversmith, Prince Vladimir also minted similar coins made of gold - gold coins or gold coins. They were also made in the manner of Byzantine solidi and weighed about four grams. Despite the fact that there were very few of them in number - a little more than a dozen goldsmiths have survived to this day - their name is firmly entrenched in folk sayings and proverbs: the spool is small, but heavy. The spool is small, but they weigh gold, the camel is large, but they carry water. Not a share of poods, a share of spools of gold. Trouble comes in pounds, and leaves in spools.
Hryvnia
At the turn of the 9th - 10th centuries, a completely domestic monetary unit, the hryvnia, appeared in Russia. The first hryvnias were weighty ingots of silver and gold, which were more like a weight standard than money - they could measure the weight of the precious metal. Kyiv hryvnias weighed about 160 grams and resembled a hexagonal ingot in shape, while Novgorod hryvnias were a long bar weighing about 200 grams. Moreover, the grivnas were also in use among the Tatars - on the territory of the Volga region, the “Tatar hryvnia” was known, made in the form of a boat. The hryvnia got its name from a woman's jewelry - a gold bracelet or a hoop that was worn around the neck - the scruff of the neck or mane.
Veksha
The equivalent of the modern penny in ancient Russia was veksha. Sometimes it was called a squirrel or a veveritsa. There is a version that along with silver coin in circulation was a dressed winter skin of a squirrel, which was its equivalent. Until now, there are disputes around the well-known phrase of the chronicler about what the Khazars took as tribute from the meadows, northerners and Vyatichi: a coin or a squirrel “from the smoke” (at home). To save up for a hryvnia, an ancient Russian person would need 150 vekshas.
Kuna
In the Russian lands, the eastern dirham also circulated. He, and also the European denarius, which was also popular, was called kuna in Russia. There is a version that originally the kuna was the skin of a marten, squirrel or fox with a princely brand. But there are other versions associated with the foreign origin of the name kuna. For example, among many other peoples who had a Roman denarius in circulation, there is a name for the coin that is consonant with the Russian kuna, for example, the English coin.
Rezana
The problem of accurate calculation in Russia was solved in its own way. For example, they cut the skin of a marten or other fur-bearing animal, thereby adjusting a piece of fur to one or another cost. Such pieces were called cuts. And since the fur skin and the Arab dirham were equivalent, the coin was also divided into parts. To this day, halves and even quarters of dirhams are found in ancient Russian treasures, because the Arab coin was too large for small trade transactions.
Nogata
Another small coin was nogata - it cost about a twentieth of a hryvnia. Its name is usually associated with the Estonian nahat - fur. In all likelihood, the nogata was also originally the fur skin of some animal. It is noteworthy that in the presence of all kinds of small money, they tried to associate every thing with their own money. In the "Word of Igor's Campaign", for example, it is said that if Vsevolod were on the throne, then the slave would be the price of "a leg", and the slave - "a cut".
The first Moscow coins.
The first Moscow coins began to be minted under Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. So he began to be called after the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo over the Horde Khan Mamai. However, on the money of Dmitry Donskoy, along with his name and the image of a rider with a saber and a battle ax, the name and title of Khan Tokhtamysh were minted, because Russia still remained dependent on the Horde. The silver coin of Dmitry Donskoy was called denga (without a soft sign). In Tatar it means "voiced". Denga was minted from silver wire, which was cut into pieces of the same size and weight, less than one gram. These pieces were flattened, then the minter hit the workpiece with a coin and, please, the coin is ready with all the necessary inscriptions and images. Such coins looked like large fish scales. Gradually, the rider with a saber and an ax on Moscow coins gave way to a rider with a spear. Under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, coins began to be called kopecks after this spear.
The introduction of kopecks was preceded by such a story ... The fact is that, following Dmitry Donskoy, almost all Russian princes began to mint coins - both great and appanage: Tver, Ryazan, Pronsky, Utlitsky, Mozhaysky. The names of local princes were written on these coins. And on the coins of Rostov the Great they wrote the names of four princes at once - Moscow and three local ones. The Novgorod coins also had their own character.
Such diversity and variegation in appearance and the weight of the coins made it difficult to trade. Therefore, at the beginning of the 16th century, under the five-year-old Ivan the Terrible, they were canceled. And a penny appeared on the stage - a nationwide coin. These coins were minted at three money yards - in Moscow, Pskov and Veliky Novgorod.
Probably, at the same time, the saying “a penny saves a ruble” appeared, this reflected its weight. After all, one hundred kopecks of Ivan the Terrible was a ruble, 50 - half a ruble, 10 - hryvnia, 3 - altyn ... Russian coins remained like this until the end of the 17th century, until the time of Tsar Peter I.
In money business and money circulation everything is interconnected. The study of all data of coins goes along with the study of images and inscriptions on them, with an analysis of the names of coins. Reconstruction of the ancient monetary and monetary systems of all, the identification of monetary reforms is impossible without the analysis of monetary treasures. Consider a few moments from the history of money and coins in Russia.
In Russia, as elsewhere, in the beginning, cattle or animal skins, such as squirrels, sable, martens and other “soft junk,” as furs were called then, served as money in exchange. Russian furs - warm, soft, beautiful - attracted merchants to Russia from both the East and the West at all times.
Russ and cowrie shells were familiar. They were brought to us by overseas merchants who traded with Novgorod and Pskov. And then the Novgorodians themselves spread kauri throughout the Russian land right up to Siberia. In Siberia, cowrie shells were used as money until the 19th century. There, cowries were called "snake head" ...
As elsewhere, with the development of trade in Russia, the first metal money appeared. True, at first they were large silver Arab dirhams. We called them kuns. The word is derived from the Latin numismatists cunas, which means forged, made of metal.
When scientists began to figure out the monetary and weight system of Ancient Russia, they encountered difficulties that at first seemed insurmountable. First of all, the variety of names of coins amazed the imagination. Kuna? Well, of course, this is marten, marten skin, which was highly valued, especially in the East.
What is a foot? Maybe it's part of the skin, leg, paw of the animal? A small monetary unit - veksha, or veveritsa, was declared a squirrel skin. Comparison of kuna with marten fur seemed to be very successful. In a number of Slavic languages, kuna also means marten. But some scientists still believed that kunas and nogaty were metal money.
Kuna, in ancient times, was called not only dirhem, but also the Roman denarius, and the denarii of other European states, and even their own Russian silver coin. So, that's what they called money in general. Then the love of money and the love of the coon meant the same thing.
Nogata (from the Arabic "nagd" - good, selected), cut (part of the cut kuna). 25 kunas were hryvnia kunas. What is a hryvnia?
In the ancient Slavic language, the so-called neck, scruff. Then the neck decoration was also called the hryvnia - a necklace. When coins appeared, the necklace began to be made from them. Each took 25 kunas. From here it went: hryvnia kuna, hryvnia silver. Then the hryvnia began to be called silver bars.
Their coins in Russia began to be minted from the end of the 10th century. These were gold pieces and pieces of silver. They depicted the Grand Duke of Kyiv and a trident - the family sign of the princes of Rurik, it is also the emblem of Kievan Rus.
Numismatists learned about these coins by examining finds in the hoards of the 9th-12th centuries. This made it possible to restore the picture of money circulation in Ancient Russia. And before that, it was believed that Russia did not have its own money. Another thing is that golden coins and pieces of silver disappeared from circulation during the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols. Because at the same time, trade itself died out.
At that time, cowrie shells were used for small settlements, and heavy silver ingots - hryvnias - for large ones. In Kyiv, hryvnias were hexagonal, in Novgorod - in the form of bars. Their weight was about 200 grams. Novgorod hryvnia eventually became known as rubles. At the same time, half a ruble appeared.
How were they made - rubles and fifty? .. The master melted silver in a hot oven and then poured it into molds. He poured it with a special spoon - a lyachka. One lyachka of silver - one casting. Therefore, the weight of rubles and fifty was kept quite accurately. Gradually, Novgorod rubles spread throughout all Russian principalities.
The first Moscow coins.
The first Moscow coins began to be minted under Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. So he began to be called after the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo over the Horde Khan Mamai. However, on the money of Dmitry Donskoy, along with his name and the image of a rider with a saber and a battle ax, the name and title of Khan Tokhtamysh were minted, because Russia still remained dependent on the Horde.
The silver coin of Dmitry Donskoy was called denga (without a soft sign). In Tatar it means "voiced". Denga was minted from silver wire, which was cut into pieces of the same size and weight, less than one gram. These pieces were flattened, then the minter hit the workpiece with a coin and, please, the coin is ready with all the necessary inscriptions and images.
Such coins looked like large fish scales. Gradually, the rider with a saber and an ax on Moscow coins gave way to a rider with a spear. Under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, coins began to be called kopecks after this spear.
The introduction of kopecks was preceded by such a story ... The fact is that, following Dmitry Donskoy, almost all Russian princes began to mint coins - both great and appanage: Tver, Ryazan, Pronsky, Utlitsky, Mozhaysky. The names of local princes were written on these coins. And on the coins of Rostov the Great they wrote the names of four princes at once - Moscow and three local ones. The Novgorod coins also had their own character.
Such inconsistency and diversity in appearance and the weight of the coins made trade difficult. Therefore, at the beginning of the 16th century, under the five-year-old Ivan the Terrible, they were canceled. And a penny appeared on the stage - a nationwide coin. These coins were minted at three money yards - in Moscow, Pskov and Veliky Novgorod.
Probably, at the same time, the saying “a penny saves a ruble” appeared, this reflected its weight. After all, one hundred kopecks of Ivan the Terrible was a ruble, 50 - half a ruble, 10 - hryvnia, 3 - altyn ... Russian coins remained like this until the end of the 17th century, until the time of Tsar Peter I.
