Golden chervonets. Expensive coins of Russia. Royal golden chervonets

The gold chervonets was a monetary unit in the Russian Empire and in the Soviet Union. At different times he had one or the other equivalent in rubles. This name has been in use since the beginning of the twentieth century to designate banknotes in denominations of ten, for example, hryvnia, rubles, euros and so on. This is associated with the release in the USSR of a gold coin, weight, the material and dimensions of which were repeated by the ten-ruble Nikolayevsky chervonets. There is another version. It is asserted that the noun "chervonets" originated from the adjective "red heart", i.e. "red". The new meaning of the word finally strengthened its position after the monetary reform of 1922-1924.

The Times of Tsarist Russia

Earlier, the definition of "gold chervonets" was applied to any foreign gold coins minted from a high-quality alloy. For the most part, they were trimmers and ducats from Holland and Hungary. From Ivan the Third to Peter the Great in Russia, unique golden royal coins were minted. They were also called chervontsami (as an option - chervonnymi), but they, as a rule, were used as premium signs. On such products there was an image of a two-headed eagle and a breast portrait (sometimes a two-headed bird was on both sides of the coin).

On the throne, Peter I

The introduction of the gold chervonets is associated with the implementation of the monetary reform. The new payment instrument had a weight of 3.47 grams and a 986 sample. By all characteristics it was similar to the Hungarian ducat. In addition, the issue of coins in nominal value of two chervonets was arranged. Their weight was already 6.94 grams.

Gold coins of Russia were published in 1701. Originally, 118 copies were produced. They were used mainly in dealing with overseas merchants.

The golden chervonets of 1907 (the date is written in letters) is in one copy. He got to the Vienna Museum from the collection of Biron. In 2010, this unique specimen was estimated at three hundred thousand dollars. In the Hermitage you can see a genuine low-grade silver chervonets in 1907. Often found novodels of this coin, made of high-grade silver and copper. Their cost is estimated at about 50 thousand rubles for the product in excellent condition (XF).

During the reign of Peter the Great, the royal gold chervonets were minted from 1701 to 1716. After that, it was replaced by a two ruble coin with a lower breakdown. It depicts Andrew the First-Called - the patron saint of Russian lands.

The resumption of minting of chervonets occurred in 1729 under Peter II. When Elizabeth ascended the throne, the data on the month, and sometimes on the date of their creation, were applied to the coins. At the same time, there was a clear division into two types - with the image of St. Andrew or the state emblem. Secret minting of the Dutch ducats began in the mint in 1768. They were intended to cover royal needs in gold coins for trading on foreign markets.

Gold coins of Russia under Nicholas II

1907 was marked by the beginning of issuance of new credit cards with a face value of ten rubles. This happened because of the improvement of the methods of making securities. Soon, a decree was issued on the issue of credit cards in the ten rubles of the 1909 sample. They were in progress until the first of October 1922. Exchange for new money was made at the rate of 10 thousand rubles. For 1 old ruble, but they never got accustomed. As a result, the production of a five-ruble coin of a high 986 sample was set up, which was subsequently lowered to 917th.

Alternative option

In the middle of the nineteenth century, minted payment means from platinum (they were also called white chervontsami). These were the most expensive coins of Russia in that period. Irrational at first glance, the solution was explained simply: by 1827, the Russian treasury had impressive reserves of platinum, which they extracted from the Urals placers. It was so much that the direct sale of precious metal would simply collapse the market, that's why a decision was made to issue white chervonets to circulation. The idea of chasing platinum coins belonged to Count Kankrin. Coins of crude 97% metal were produced from 1828 to 1845. At the same time, denominations of three, six and twelve rubles became available - quite rare for Russia. Their appearance was explained by the fact that for a more effective coinage the size was chosen, as it was already done before 25 cents, a half-ruble and a ruble. Accordingly, such a volume of metal was estimated at 3, 6, 12 rubles.

For the first time in the monetary business, payment instruments almost entirely consisted of platinum. Previously, the coins had this precious metal, but only as a ligature to copper or gold for forgery.

Soviet Russia

In the first years after the establishment of Soviet power, there was a breakdown in the system of monetary circulation and a rapid rate of inflation. Confidence of the population was not used either by "kerenkas", "Sovznaks", by Duma money, or by royal tickets. The first denomination was made in 1922. Exchange was carried out in relation to 1:10 000. As a result, the monetary system was able to order, but inflation was stopped - no. The participants in the Eleventh Congress of the RCP (B.) Decided to issue a stable Soviet currency. Naturally, they discussed the new name of the money. They offered to get away from the old options and introduce new ones - "revolutionary ones". For example, workers from the People's Commissariat of Finance received a proposal to call the currency "federal." Considered and traditional names - tselkovy, chervonets, grivna. However, due to the fact that the hryvnia called the payment means, which had circulation in the territory of Ukraine, and the rubles were associated with silver rubles, it was decided to call the new money in the old way - chervontsami. The population accepted them with confidence. The reason was that chervontsy perceived more as a non-monetary security, and not as a means of circulation. Many hoped that the paper money would be exchanged for gold, but the government act on free exchange never appeared. Nevertheless, paper chervontsi actively changed for expensive coins of Russia, and vice versa. Sometimes for the first even a little overpaid because of the convenience of their storage and liquidity. Thanks to the stable course of the chervonets, the government received a firm basis for the unfolding of a new economic policy (NEP).

Strengthening of positions

In 1923, the share of chervonets in the total mass of money increased from three percent to eighty. Two foreign exchange systems operated within the country. Thus, the State Bank announced a new course of chervonets every day. This provided a fertile ground for speculation and caused the emergence of difficulties in the development of economic and trade activities. Over time, chervonets began to be used primarily in the city. Only wealthy peasants could buy it in the village, while for ordinary people it was prohibitively expensive. At the same time, there was an opinion that selling goods for Sovznaks was not a profitable business, so prices for agricultural products grew, and their delivery to the city was reduced. For this reason, there was a second ruble denomination (1: 100).

Travel to the far end of the world

More and more distinct was the process of penetration of the chervonets into foreign markets. So, from April 1, 1924, his rate began to be quoted on the New York Stock Exchange. The first month he stayed at a level exceeding his dollar parity. In Berlin and London, unofficial deals were made with the Soviet currency in 1924-1925. At the end of 1925, the question of its quotation on the Vienna Stock Exchange was decided. At that time, the chervonetz was already officially quoted in Shanghai, Tehran, Rome, Constantinople, Riga and Milan. It could be exchanged or bought in most countries of the world.

Triumphant return

In October, it was decided that the gold chervonets again will be issued on a par with paper. In terms of size and characteristics, it fully corresponded to the ten-ruble pre-revolutionary coin. Vasyutinsky - the chief medalist of the mint - became the author of the new drawing. So, on the obverse depicted the emblem of the RSFSR, and on the reverse - the farmer-sower. The latter was made on the sculpture of Shadra, now it is in the Tretyakov Gallery. Each golden chervonets ("sower", as it was called by the people) of that period was dated 1923.

Most of the money from precious metals was needed for the Soviet government to conduct foreign trade operations. In addition, the gold chervonets (photos presented in the article) were sometimes used as a means of payment within the country. Coins were minted in the capital, and then distributed throughout the state.

When only started to produce expensive gold coins from Russia, there was such an incident: representatives of Western countries completely refused to accept these funds, because they had the symbols of the Soviet Union. Exit found instantly. The basis for the new coins was taken by the Nikolayevsky chervonets, which foreigners accepted unconditionally. Thus, the Soviet government began to acquire the necessary goods from abroad for banknotes depicting the overthrown ruler.

The period after NEP

The curtailment of the new economic policy and the start of industrialization weakened the gold chervonets. The price for it was within 5.4 rubles per dollar. Subsequently, he completely stopped quoting abroad. In order to unify the financial system, the ruble was tied to a paper chervontsu. How much does a gold chervonetz cost in 1925? Ten rubles were given for him. Subsequently, the import and export of coins from precious metal outside the Union was completely banned.

In 1937 a series of denominations of 1, 3, 5 and 10 chervonets appeared. The innovation of that time is a portrait of Lenin on one side of the coin.

In 1925, an exceptionally rare specimen of copper was struck. In all respects, it fully corresponded to the gold coin. In 2008, at one of the Moscow auctions, this product was bought for five million Russian rubles (approximately $ 165,000).

War time

In most of the Soviet territories occupied by the Germans, the chervonets did not stop walking. For ten rubles they gave one Reichsmark. The paradox was that collaborators (police, burgomasters and other persons who collaborated with the fascist troops) in 1941-1943. Received a salary in Soviet "Stalin" rubles in 1937 issue with images of the military pilots and Red Army soldiers who fought against the Nazis (these were so-called treasury tickets).

Prices on the Soviet territory were lower than in Germany. This was due to the fact that the Nazis artificially overestimated the Reichsmarket's course, therefore, with the liberation of any settlement from the invaders, the value of products in the local market was significantly reduced, sometimes even three-fold. This fact, of course, was positively perceived by the local population.

In the Soviet Union they were paid by chervontsi until 1947. They were replaced by new banknotes, expressed in rubles. For ten rubles we gave one ruble.

The 1980 Olympics

From 1975 to 1982, the State Bank of the Soviet Union issued coins like the chervonets of the 1923 model with the emblem of the RSFSR and new dates. The total circulation was 7,350,000 copies. These coins were coined on the occasion of the Olympics in Moscow, but they did not have the status of legal tender in the territory of the Soviet Union. They were used for foreign trade transactions and sold to foreign guests.

In the mid-1990s, the Central Bank began selling "Olympic chervontsi" as investment coins, and in 2001 this government agency decided to make them a legitimate means of payment along with the silver three-ruble "Sable".

The most famous scams

Soviet chervontsi were quite a hard currency and had a high purchasing power. They were often forged to destabilize the economy of the USSR and conduct illegal transactions in foreign markets.

Most of all in this regard, distinguished employees of the Shell oil company, dissatisfied with the fact that the Union sold oil at a price below the market average.

Most often, they forged a denomination in denomination in one chervonets, because the drawing on it was only on one side. A very large batch of counterfeit banknotes was arrested in 1928 in Murmansk. The underground organization that distributed counterfeit banknotes printed in Germany was disclosed to postal employees Sepalov. An important role in the criminal scheme was played by some former White Guards, including Sadaderashvili and Karumidze. However, the trial of the criminals took place in Switzerland and Germany, where they received the minimum possible sentence. Subsequently, their experience was taken advantage of by the Nazis, who during the Second World forged the banknotes of the Soviet Union and other countries.

Numismatist for a note

During the reign of Nicholas II, the full-fledged imperial and semi-imperial were minted, which over time were replaced by money of lower weight. In addition, in circulation were issued unusual for the Russian people coins in denominations of 7.5 and 15 rubles. Gift twenty-five rubles and gold coins are classified as numismatic rarities. A much larger distribution was received by an ordinary chervonets. It was produced in 1898-1911. However, even here there is an exception: in 1906 the royal gold chervonets were minted, the price of which now reaches ten thousand dollars apiece. A total of 10 such copies were produced, which is why collectors are ready to compete for the right to possess such a rare coin.

People who want to protect their own savings often face a difficult choice: whether to transfer money to dollars, whether to the euro, or to leave in rubles ... In conditions of instability of global financial markets, many consider alternative investment tools. For example, the cost of gold chervonets grows, even if not swiftly, but stably. However, how to determine the authenticity of a coin? On the gold king's chervonetz of Nicholas II there must always be mince-masters' signs. In German, a person who was personally responsible for the process of creating coins, and later a manager of the mint, was called a muntsmeister. The above signs were placed under the release date, on the paw or tail of the eagle, under the state emblem or on the edge. They consisted of two initials of the Ministry of Mines. For example, the tsarist chervonets of the year 1899 was marked with the stamp "FZ", since at that time honorary duties were assigned to Felix Zalemna.

Long-term investments in coins in a few years can bring twenty or thirty percent of annual income, which, you will agree, is not bad.