The first coins that have reached us. The appearance of the first coins. How did people pay in ancient times?

It is generally accepted that the beginning of Russian statehood dates back to 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 government bodies, but also money appeared in Rus'.

The oldest coins found in Rus' are Byzantine silver and gold coins.

On one side the coin depicted a portrait of the emperor, the other could be occupied by various images, inscriptions and the denomination of the coin. It was this type of coin that was taken as a model in Rus'. It is thanks to the Byzantines that we have such a modern type of coin in real Russia.

Epochs and rulers, coats of arms and names changed, and Russia developed and prospered, and with it the coin evolved.

The beginning of the minting of coins directly in Rus' leads us, grateful descendants, to Kievan Rus, where approximately at the end of the 10th century the “Srerenik” appears. The prince of Kiev was depicted on the coin, and next to him was the coat of arms of the Rurikovichs - a soaring falcon in the form of a trident.

However, a full-fledged coin production workshop never appeared in Rus' at that time. The main monetary unit was a silver bar called the hryvnia.

In the 13th century, the technology for producing money changed. Now coins began to be made from silver wire. This is where the familiar name “Ruble” comes from, because the ingots were “cut” from wire. The sizes of the ingots varied in weight and shape. Moscow and Novgorod issued their own rubles. Coins were made from rubles.

But all this was handicraft production. The first mass-produced coins in Rus' began to be made at the beginning of the 15th century in Moscow, then in the Principality of Suzdal, and then in Ryazan and Tver. The first Moscow coins depicted mainly Dmitry Donskoy, but coins with images of horsemen, warriors with weapons in their hands, and animals, both real and mythical, are often found. This was due to the fact that there was no mint as such, and coins were produced by silversmiths, whom the prince personally allowed to mint coins to replenish the coin fund. Even county princes and rich boyars minted coins this way. On the other side of the Moscow coins there was an inscription in the Tatar language. 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 “multilingual”. This bore fruit in the second half of the 15th century and before these lands were included in Russia, the Russian antique coin, called “denga”, remained the leader in the region and was an analogue of the dollar in the modern world.

As the state centralized and the internal market was created, money began to be minted only with Russian inscriptions, and the need to distribute money abroad disappeared.

The next milestone in history copper money in Rus' it is customary to consider the year 1534 to be the year when the monetary reform of Elena Glinskaya ended. Now in Rus' they began to mint money of a single state standard. The coin depicted a horseman with a spear, hence the new name - “kopek”. 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 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. Thus, the copper riot even received a separate chapter in history and Moscow studies textbooks.

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 ruble coins appear, fifty kopecks, half fifty kopecks, a ten-kopeck piece, a penny 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 Russian Empire, as was customary in all European countries. Since 1730, the coat of arms of the Moscow kingdom appears on the body of the eagle - St. George the Victorious.

In addition to silver, work was also carried out on copper coins. The fact is that throughout the reign of Peter I, the search for the denomination of copper coins was carried out, so copper coins of this period often changed in weight and shape.

The further development of the coin in Russia was increasing. Coins became larger in volume, more valuable in weight, the image of emperors became 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 coinage in the Russian Empire was 1917, the First World War, the revolution. The Russian economy of that period was characterized by the phrase of I.A. Vyshnegradsky, Russian Minister of Finance in 1887-1892, “We won’t finish eating, but we’ll take it out.”

In 1915, it got 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 attacks by the Germans and Austrians. In the country, the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. This state of affairs led to the 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 its own, new money. Soviet era coins will be discussed in another article...

Numismatists believe that the first large coins appeared in Lydia. This was the name of a small ancient state on the western coast of modern Turkey. It arose back in the 7th century BC.

Busy trade routes to Ancient Greece and the countries of the East passed through Lydia. Here, early on, there was a need to simplify trade transactions, which was hindered by heavy ingots. The Lydians figured out how to make the very first coins from electrum, a natural alloy of silver and gold. Pieces of this metal, similar in shape to beans, which they used as bargaining chips, began to be flattened and at the same time put on them the sign of the city.

These coins were called Croesoids, named after the legendary immensely rich Lydian king Croesus, who lived in 595-546 BC, more than two and a half thousand years ago.

A few decades later, coins began to be minted in the Greek city of Aegina. They had a completely different appearance than the Lydian ones, and were minted from silver. Therefore, it can be assumed that in Aegina the coin was invented, although later, but independently. From Lydia and Aegina, coins very quickly spread throughout Greece, in its colonies, in Iran, and then among the Romans and many barbarian tribes.

A little later, round coins appeared in distant China. There, for a long time, in seven Chinese states, bronze money was widespread in the form of various household items: knives, bells, spades, swords, hoes. Many of these coins had holes for stringing on a cord. The ancient Chinese were especially fond of “shovel fish” coins. However, such a variety of money in the 3rd century BC. the end has come.

At this time, Qin Shihuangdi - the First Qin sovereign (he lived in 259-210 BC) united all of China under his rule in the Qin Empire... In addition to many important matters, such as the construction of the Great Wall of China, which protected China, from the raids of nomads, Qin Shi Huang abolished all the previously used bronze money - all these bells and knives - and introduced a single money for the entire state - liang. It was a round coin with a square hole in the center... Liang was also destined to live to our time.

There were coins from dozens of cities in circulation on the market, differing in type, weight and value. The coin of one city was worth several coins of another, since it could be made of pure gold, and not of an alloy of gold and silver. Coins with some emblems enjoyed a special advantage, as they were distinguished by the weight and purity of the metal.

Coins of the ancient Greeks

IN Ancient Greece there were several city-states: Athens, Sparta; Corinth, Argos, Syracuse... Each of them had its own coins cast - rectangular and round. There were a variety of stamps and images on them. Most often they depicted gods or sacred animals revered in the city where the coin was issued. After all, each city-state was patronized by its own celestial being.

So, in Olympia, the very place where the Olympic Games were first held, the thunder god Zeus was depicted. Often with an eagle in the palm. In Athens, coins had the profile of the wise daughter of Zeus, Athena, on one side, and an owl, which was considered a sacred bird, on the other. According to her, these coins were called owls.

The coins of Olbia, a Greek city on the northern shore of the Black Sea, were cast in the shape of a dolphin, and then on the round coins of this city they depicted an eagle tormenting a dolphin with its claws. In Chersonesus the goddess Virgo was revered. Her image was also placed on the first coins.

In other cities, in Syracuse, for example, on coins there was the god of light and poetry Apollo in a laurel wreath. The winged horse Pegasus was minted on the coins of Corinth. According to him, they were called foals. The patron of shepherds and hunters, Pan, as well as the mighty hero Hercules were also depicted on coins...

The ancient Greeks had their own coin account. They called a small silver coin an obol. Six obloms constituted a drachma, two drachmas constituted a stater. The smallest coin was the lepta (one hundred lepta made a drachma).

Coins in Ancient Rome.

In the old days they said: “All roads lead to Rome.” Ancient Rome was a powerful state. It was famous not only for the valiant cohorts of warriors who conquered many countries and tribes, but also for the luxury of Roman palaces, the wealth of the nobility, the construction of giant aqueducts (through which water flowed to Rome), magnificent baths (public baths) and, of course, trade.

Merchants from Africa and Asia, from Britain and Scythia brought a variety of goods to the Roman market. There were fabrics, carpets, grain, fruits, jewelry, and weapons. They also traded here live goods - slaves, because Rome was a slave state. From their many campaigns, Roman soldiers brought huge crowds of slaves to Rome.

What kind of money was “circulated” in Ancient Rome? The very first Roman coins were called ases. They were cast from copper, and they also had a rectangular shape. Over time, the aces became round, and the image of the two-faced god Janus appeared on them. He was considered the god of all beginnings (for example, the first month of the year - January - was named after Janus).

Following the asses, silver denarii began to be minted in Rome, equal to the value of 10 assams (denarius - consisting of ten). There was also another silver coin in use - the sistertius (one fourth of a denarius). These coins depicted Roman gods, heroes of myths, and coining tools: anvil, hammer, and tongs.

Often, on the coins of the Roman Empire, a portrait of the emperor was minted, his titles were placed, and sometimes words were of a propaganda nature, glorifying the policies of this ruler. Now he was no longer a deity or a city emblem. mint for the quality of the coin. Behind it stood a powerful state, personified by the emperor.

Coins-decorations.

Let's listen to the word "monisto". Is it true that there is a connection with the “coin” in it? Monisto is a decoration in the form of beads or necklaces made from coins. Since ancient times, such decorations, strung with coins on thin cords (gaitans), were worn around the neck by Slavic women. We can safely say that the first coin collectors were Slavic fashionistas.

After all, their necklaces contained Arab, Greek, Roman, Kievan Rus, and Hungarian coins. Isn't this surprising?.. Headdresses and dresses were also decorated with coins. In many families, such decorations passed from generation to generation, “overgrown” and replenished with new pieces all the time.

Therefore, a dress, for example, from a large number of coins became heavy, like knightly armor. What attracted fashionistas to coins? Glitter? Melodious ringing? Certainly. But also because each of them is an elegant work of art. Each one can be looked at for hours. That is why the craftsmen decorated jewelry with coins.

When it comes to talking about the first money, professional historians and archaeologists, as a rule, talk about animal skins, bird feathers and various kinds of shells found in excavations. In the eastern Pacific on the islands of Micronesia, for example, as a prototype modern coins Rai were used - round stones with a carved center. They were made from limestone. The dimensions of these “coins” could reach several meters, and their weight could reach several tons! From the point of view of scientists, these were the first money. Cows, bulls, sheep were also used as money (the word “capital” comes from the Old German “wealth”, it consisted in the number of livestock) and so on...

Nothing can be done - this is the scientific way of thinking! But for an ordinary person, of course, all of the above rather refers to the predecessors of modern currency, its original prototypes, and cannot in any way be called money in the full sense of the word. After all, these are not even coins!

Metal as a board

But the moment came when the monetary function passed to metals - but not yet to coins. Metal rings, household utensils, arrow and spear tips, and even ingots of various weights and shapes could be used as payment. For example, the Italians accepted copper ingots by weight before they had the first coins (we talked about 300 kg of ingots found in Italy in the sacred spring of Apollo in the article about natural exchange). Then it occurred to someone to mix copper and tin with silver and gold. The result was gold and silver bars containing a certain percentage of the precious metal. To avoid confusion, the ingots were checked for weight, and a sample was taken from the metal. For the first time, a mark appeared on the bars, with the help of which the state solved the problem of counterfeiting money. Perhaps, it was from the beginning of the practice of branding that we can talk about the origin of the first coins, that is, the appearance of money.

First coins

According to some sources, bronze coins first appeared in the highly developed ancient Chinese culture in the second millennium BC. e. But, as you know, Ancient China developed in a very isolated manner, so in the countries of the Mediterranean basin they first started talking about minted coins only in the 7th century BC. e.

The metal was exposed to high temperatures, after which it was formed into small disks and sent to the anvil. In the writings of Herodotus there is a mention of the minting of the first coins in the state of Lydia. Similar information is found in other ancient Greek thinkers. It is now generally accepted that it was in Lydia in the 7th century BC. e. They began to make coins from an alloy of silver and gold. Coins came to Greece, Iran and Italy from there, quickly gaining a place in economy. The practice of minting coins was later adopted by barbarian tribes from the Romans.

They began to call the coin a coin later. Moneta is one of the nicknames of the goddess Juno. Juno Moneta translates as Juno "warning" or "adviser". In antiquity, a mint was located next to her temple on the Capitoline Hill.

The first coins in Rus'

The first coins were brought to our country in the 8th century. In the Arab Caliphate, dirhams were minted - coins that were brought to Kievan Rus by merchants who went “over the hill” to buy goods. original name didn’t catch on, but soon its own - “kuna” appeared. Half a kuna was called rezana, 25 kuna was a hryvnia. By the way, the word “hryvnia” comes from the word “mane” (neck) and meant a necklace made of precious metal. The Russians began minting their own coins at the end of the 10th century. In Rus', these were coins made of gold and silver with the image of the Great Prince and the sign of the Rurikovichs. They were called goldsmiths and silversmiths, respectively. But the Tatar-Mongol yoke came - and in Rus' they switched to bars of silver. And only in the 14th century the minting of Russian coins resumed. The first Russian ruble came from the word “cut,” and it looked like a stump: 200 grams of silver in the form of an elongated block, roughly chopped off at the ends. The cost of that ruble was one hryvnia kun.

This careless block was cut into two parts and received half rubles, divided by four - quarters were formed. Small coins were also made from the ruble, the name of which served as the prototype of the modern word “money”. The ruble block was pulled into a thin wire, which was then cut into pieces. The resulting stumps were flattened and coins - money - were minted from them. This was the name of the medieval Turkic silver coins täŋkä.

Copper revolt or an attempt to escape from commodity money

Of course, the coins are like the first ones money significantly changed the way of human life, formed a new type economy and people's behavior. And everything would be fine, but counterfeiters appeared - and if not on the same day, then the next day after the first coin appeared. The profession, frankly speaking, is the oldest. In Rus', mention of counterfeiters can be found already in one of the Novgorod chronicles of 1447. The state took punitive measures, but there were no fewer violators. In 1655, Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich decided to issue coins from copper. He replaced precious metals with base metals - and this is how the nominal value of money arose. But this led to chaos in the coin industry system and, as a consequence, to copper riot. The bloody scenes at the end of the riot were described by diplomat and writer Grigory Kotoshikhin:

“They hanged 150 people, and the decree was enough for everyone, they tortured and burned... and inflicting punishment on them, they sent everyone to distant cities to live forever... and another thief of the same days, in the night, carried out a decree, with his hands tied back in large courts, they were sunk in the Moscow River.”

Peter's reform and real money

As a result of the rebellion, of course, the copper coin was gradually abolished and silver coins began to be minted again. And the Russian coin was brought to the level of developed European countries by Peter I, who carried out the reform in 1698. Has re-established itself in monetary circulation copper coin. And this is very remarkable! After all, now it was possible to talk about the real first coin, not about commodity money tied to the direct value of its material.

Before the origin of coins over the centuries, the mission of a means of payment, i.e. money, fulfilled various items Applications: shells, slaves, grain, livestock, and more. During the Bronze Age, metal became the monetary equivalent.

With the development of trade and production, ingots of precious metals and copper of various shapes and weights began to play a leading role, having high value with a relatively small mass. In the second millennium BC. In Babylon, merchants, when using ingots or rings made of precious metals, guaranteed their weight and metal content with a stamp.

Around 700 BC In Lydia and the Ionian cities of Asia Minor, coins appeared, which gradually began to replace weighted money. They differed from weighted money in that they were produced by the state itself. The coin turned into money in the form of a convenient piece of metal, for the content of noble metal in which the state vouched for the applied image and inscription. In addition to the economic function, it gave this means of payment and circulation also the function of an information carrier. The emergence of coins became a means of payment for livelihood, and led to the strengthening of the state's key positions in the economy.

For example, in Greece, where money factories were state-owned, life without a state, state regulation and state laws for the citizens of the country became impossible for economic reasons. Coins are a sign minted from gold, silver, copper or other metals and alloys and have a front - obverse, and a reverse - reverse side. On the side, the surface of the coin is edged.

The very first coins appeared in the highly developed culture of ancient China in the middle of the second millennium BC. They were made of bronze by casting. In the 7th century BC. The first minted coins appeared in the Mediterranean countries. The production and minting of coins was a relatively simple matter; first, the metal was melted and small round discs were cast, these discs were minted.

In antiquity, the development of coins took place with the Greek slave states, then with Ancient Rome, and reached its peak during the period of greatest expansion of the territory of the Roman Empire. The word “coin” is one of the names of the ancient Roman goddess Juno and at the same time the name of the first Roman mint at the Temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill in Ancient Rome.

When the first coins appeared, counterfeits also appeared. So in Ancient Greece this type of crime became widespread, in the 4th century. BC. In Athens, the laws of Solon provided for the death penalty for the production of counterfeit coins. Counterfeit coins were an everyday occurrence, the people knew the words carved on the wall of the sanctuary of Apollo in Athens: “ It's better to fake a coin than the truth».

During recent excavations at one of the ancient Viking settlements in England, archaeologists found an ancient Arabic silver coin, which turned out to be not silver at all, but made of copper with a thin silver coating, it was a skillful fake. Considered the main center of counterfeiting during its heyday Ancient Rome was an economically weak Egypt. For the first time, methods and techniques for verifying the authenticity of coins arose. When Anthony arrived in Egypt, his retinue included experienced, as we would now call them, “coin examination specialists.”

The main metals used to make coins for centuries were gold, silver and copper. The state or ruler who minted the money certified both the accuracy of the weight and the fineness of the coin's alloy. In history, you can find at least three ways to counterfeit coins. The first is reducing the weight of the coin, or minting an underweight coin. The second is a decrease in the precious metal content in the coin, or a decrease in the fineness of the coin. Sometimes such methods of counterfeiting are called “damage to coins.” And the third method is the production of “gold” and “silver” coins from base metals. They were only given the appearance of authentic ones; sometimes they were covered with a thin layer of precious metal.

There were techniques for verifying the authenticity of coins. Simply use a knife to cut off a piece of a coin and, based on the cut, it was easy to determine whether it was real or fake. For example, only covered with a layer of precious metal. True, counterfeiters quickly found a way out of the situation: they themselves made counterfeit coin cut and silvered it. Moreover, we learned to do this a long time ago. In addition to the knife, the coin was checked “tooth”: if the tooth does not take it, it means it is fake, since it was well known that gold and silver are relatively soft metals, and the teeth left a mark on them. The coin was tested for sound and thrown onto a stone; if there was a ringing, clear sound, then the coin was genuine, and if there was a dull sound, it was fake.

The production of counterfeit banknotes, as well as the alteration of genuine ones, caused damage to the state, and counterfeiters were always strictly prosecuted in accordance with the laws. However, even the threat of the most severe punishment, and almost everywhere it was the death penalty, did not stop the counterfeiters.

The temptation to counterfeit coins was also caused by the fact that the coins were initially minted extremely carelessly. Their shape was irregular, the images on the obverse and reverse were unclear. This is explained both by the imperfection of technology at the mints of that time, and by the lack of strict government supervision over coinage and the state of monetary circulation.

Sometimes kings could not resist the temptation to enrich themselves through counterfeiting. The English king Henry VI made very original use of the discovery of his court alchemist, who found that if you rub a copper coin with mercury, it is very difficult to distinguish it from a silver one. In order to replenish his treasury, the king without hesitation gave the order to produce a batch of “silver” coins in such an unusual way. They were in circulation for a very short time: the deceived subjects were so outraged that they had to stop “minting” these coins.

Gold coins have also been targeted by counterfeiters in the past. Alchemists - learned to create special metal alloys very similar to gold, also drilled holes, filled them with fake “gold”, and collected the drilled part of the coin for income. Production of counterfeit money in the 17th-18th centuries. in England it was commonplace. Sometimes even banks could not determine: where are the real ones and where are the fake ones? The reason is that the production of banknotes was carried out so carelessly that it was not difficult to counterfeit them. This was the case until 1844, when a special law in England established a clear procedure for the production of money and introduced strict requirements for its quality.

Minting coins was one of the most important prerogatives of the state. The issue was associated with the name of the new sovereign. The minting of coins was a sign of his rights, power, and political success. For example, in the X-XI centuries. Some of the oldest Russian coins were minted with the image of an ancient Russian prince on the throne and the signatures: “Vladimir on the table”, “Vladimir, and this is his gold”, “Vladimir, and this is his silver”.

The history of the production and circulation of Russian coins, which goes back ten centuries, can be divided into several periods:

• coins of pre-Mongol Rus';
• payment bullions of a non-coin period;
• coins from the period of feudal fragmentation;
• coins of the Russian centralized state;
• coins of the imperial period;
• coins of modern mintage.

The first 4 date back to the longest period - from the beginning of Russian coinage at the end of the 10th century. until the completion of the monetary reform of Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century. The time of issue of coins of the fifth category practically coincides with the period of existence of the absolutist state in Russia from the beginning of the 18th century. and until 1917. Coins of the imperial period are regularly minted coins with precise dating, indicating the name of the ruler, denomination and place of minting.

The earliest mention of counterfeiters in Rus' can be found in one of the Novgorod chronicles. In 1447, a certain “livets and weights” (foundry worker and weigher of precious metals) Fyodor Zherebets made his living by making hryvnias from inferior metal. In Rus', as elsewhere, counterfeiting was punishable, but nevertheless it did not stop.

By decision of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, copper coins with the nominal value of silver coins were issued into circulation in 1655. And after some time it was discovered that some money masters, who had previously lived poorly, quickly became rich with copper money. The reason for this became clear when illegally minted coins and the coins themselves were confiscated from them. Counterfeiting of coins in Russia in the 17th century. has turned into a real disaster. A huge amount of counterfeit copper money appeared. In addition, Russia also learned how to make “silver” coins by rubbing them with mercury. Such “coins” were not uncommon, and they were called “portutenes”. During the same period, “silver” coins appeared, made by coating copper blanks with tin (tinning).

Beginning of the 18th century known for the radical disruption of the monetary economy that had developed in Russia in the previous era. Reform of Peter 1 in 1698-1717 brought the Russian monetary system to the level of developed European countries. This reform gave the country a convenient means of payment in the form of silver and copper coins, the set of denominations of which was based on the decimal system. Hand minting of coins, which was the basis of Russian coin production, was replaced by machine minting. The copper coin, discredited by the previous reform of 1654-1663, became established in the country’s internal monetary circulation. A unified monetary system was established throughout Russia.

The measures taken by the government were aimed at further adapting the monetary system to the needs of the state. Under the successors of Peter I, the financial economy of Russia was in a very disrepair. The state treasury was burdened by the extravagance of successive empresses on the throne, as well as the enormous costs associated with waging wars. These circumstances could not but affect the state of the state budget, which was already chronically deficit. The main actions of the government in the field of monetary circulation were the opportunistic changes in the weight standard of coins and the fineness of the alloy of coins made of precious metals, as well as an increase in the volume of coinage. Thus, in the 18 years that have passed since the first coins of a new type appeared in Russia, introduced by the reform of Peter I, a coin foot of a copper coin, which initially equaled 12.8 rubles. from a pound of copper, increased three times and by 1718 reached 40 rubles. from a pood (at a copper price of about 8 rubles per pood). As a result, the treasury was significantly replenished with additional profits, but extremely undesirable phenomena arose in the country's monetary economy. First of all, the simultaneous circulation of copper coins, minted at different weight rates, led to the disappearance from circulation of full-weight copper coins, as well as silver and gold, which the population kept, and the treasury began to receive state taxes on lightweight copper coins. In addition, the market turned out to be flooded with counterfeit copper coins, the fabrication of which, after the introduction of the 40-ruble coin stack, became extremely profitable and was carried out not only within the country, but also abroad.

The first half of the 18th century was characterized by a sharp increase in the minting of copper coins for fiscal purposes. Having become the main means of circulation and payment, depreciated copper coins entered the treasury in the form of taxes and other payments. This reduced the overall effect of their minting and increased the financial difficulties of the government. For this reason, the ruling circles of Russia were forced to temporarily abandon further abuse of the minting of copper coins and a decrease in the content of pure metal in silver and gold coins. The government needed new sources of income, and primarily through the release of new money into circulation. The issue of paper banknotes carried out in Russia in the 60s of the 18th century became such a source. From this time on, the coin in Russia began to circulate in parallel with paper banknotes - banknotes. Coins, primarily copper, gradually turned into a medium of exchange for banknotes.

The constant increase in the number of banknotes in circulation, the issue of which was used by the government as a source of covering its expenses, inevitably led to a fall in the rate of banknotes in relation to gold and silver coins. In this regard, many owners of banknotes sought to exchange them for hard currency. Since by the end of the 80s of the XVIII century. To carry out exchange operations, the State Assignation Bank no longer had the required number of coins, the government was forced to suspend exchange, without issuing a special government act, which led to the disappearance of gold and silver coin, which became a means of accumulation.

The Manifesto of June 20, 1810 established the ruble with a pure silver content of 4 spools 21 shares (18 g) as the universal legal monetary unit of account for all payments in the country, which became the basis of the Russian monetary system in the 19th century. All previously issued silver and gold coins remained in monetary circulation. Their value was expressed in relation to the new silver ruble. Somewhat later, the manifesto of August 29, 1810 finally determined the purpose of the copper coin, which was recognized as a change. The country announced the introduction of a system of open minting of silver and gold coins: anyone could bring metal in bullion to the Mint to make coins from it, no fee was charged for this. It was assumed that all these measures would serve to create a new monetary system in Russia, based on silver monometallism with the circulation of banknotes backed mainly by silver. However, after Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, when the war required enormous material and monetary costs, the government was unable to complete the reform. Banknotes were recognized as legal tender, obligatory for circulation throughout the empire. All calculations and payments were to be made primarily in banknotes. The ratio between paper and metal money was set by private individuals, not by the government. In 1815, the exchange rate of the assignat ruble fell to 20 kopecks. silver

Changes to the Russian monetary system based on the silver ruble were made in 1839-1843. During this reform, depreciated banknotes were gradually replaced by state banknotes, which were subject to equivalent exchange for silver. Copper money again acquired the role of a medium of exchange for the silver ruble. The designation of the denomination of copper coins of the 1839 sample contains an indication that these coins are equivalent to silver ones, for example: “2 kopecks in silver.” The main means of payment was the silver ruble. State banknotes were assigned the role of only an auxiliary banknote. They were to be accepted at a constant and unchanging rate. This rate was 3 rubles. 50 kopecks banknotes for a silver ruble.

On July 1, 1839, a decree “On the establishment of the Silver Coin Deposit Office at the State Commercial Bank” was published. The depository office accepted deposits in silver coins for storage and issued in return deposit tickets for the corresponding amounts. Deposit cash tickets were declared legal tender with the right to circulate throughout the country on a par with silver coins. With the help of deposit notes, 100% backed by silver and exchangeable for it, the government sought to revive the people's confidence in paper banknotes. The government was not able to use the issue of deposit notes to increase revenues of the state treasury, which required different principles of issue. A gradual transition to them was made in the process of issuing a new type of banknotes - the so-called credit notes, only partially covered with metal. Tickets were freely exchanged for specie and circulated on a par with silver coins.

The introduction of a system of silver coins with the circulation of paper banknotes, 1/6 covered with metal, at the first moment contributed to the strengthening of the monetary system in Russia. However, in 1853 the Crimean War began, ending in a severe military defeat for Russia and the depletion of its finances. The issue of temporary issues of state bank notes was the main source of financing for military expenditures and covering the state budget deficit for the Russian government. This led to a fall in their exchange rate and caused serious difficulties with the exchange of banknotes for silver and gold. At the beginning of 1854, the government was forced to stop the free exchange of banknotes for gold. Exchange for silver was carried out intermittently. In 1858 it ceased, since the exchange fund could not provide specie for everyone. In search of a way out of this situation, the government, since 1860, has been increasing the production of small change silver coins by reducing the content of pure silver in it by 15%: if, starting from 1764, the silver ruble in a small change coin contained 18 g of pure silver, now this content has decreased to 15.3 g. A repeated reduction in the content of pure silver in small change coins (to 9 g in a ruble) was carried out for a similar purpose in 1867. At the same time, the price of a copper coin was increased from 32 to 50 rubles. from the pud. Monetary circulation was clearly inflationary in nature.

At the end of the 19th century. For the stable development of the economy in Russia, preparations began for monetary reform, the goal of which was to replace the inflationary circulation of irredeemable paper banknotes with a system of gold monometallism with banknote circulation, the transition to which has already been made by many developed capitalist countries. The government began monetary reform and took a number of measures to gradually introduce gold coins into monetary circulation, while trying to ensure a certain ratio between the credit and gold rubles. In fact, gold coins participated in monetary circulation. However, the country's monetary unit was still formally the silver ruble, which limited the scope of operation of the gold coin. The first stage of the reform was the resolution in 1895 of transactions with gold. For such transactions, payment was made either in gold coin or in notes at the rate of gold on the day of payment, May 24, 1895, to institutions State Bank was allowed to buy and sell gold coin at the rate. In fact, this meant the establishment of the exchange of credit notes for gold. On January 3, 1897, it was established that 1 rub. gold was equal to 1 ruble. 50 kopecks credit tickets. Thus, the transition to the system of gold monometallism, which was legally established on January 3, 1897, was finally prepared.

In November 1897, unlimited exchange of banknotes for gold was introduced, and they were given the status of legal tender on a par with gold coin. The basis of the monetary system of the Russian Empire was the gold ruble, which contained 17,424 shares of pure gold. In connection with the introduction of the gold monometallism system, the silver coin was turned into an auxiliary means of payment.

Naturally, silver and gold coins in circulation were constantly the object of interest for counterfeiters. Of course, the authorities took decisive steps to prevent counterfeiting of banknotes. For example, when drawing up new programs for issuing coins, officials of the Ministry of Finance literally from the very first steps began to think about their protection. Thus, in the note of the Minister of Finance, dated February 1, 1867, “On the release into public circulation of a new small change silver and copper coin” we read: “ To make counterfeiting more difficult, it is necessary to create new, more beautiful designs, adopting, among other improvements, two types of letters for the inscriptions on the coin: convex and depressed. These letters require a different method of preparation, and, therefore, great skill will be required to make false stamps" It should be noted that, in addition to great skill, the production of depressed and raised inscriptions also requires complex technical devices, including powerful pressing equipment, which, of course, the counterfeiters did not have.

The system of gold monometallism with the circulation of credit notes existed in Russia until 1914. From the very first days after Russia joined the First world war The government began to use the issue of banknotes to cover the state budget deficit, and the law of July 27, 1914 eliminated the exchange of banknotes for gold. With the development of the inflationary process, the process of the disappearance of specie from circulation began. With the cessation of the exchange of credit notes for gold, the population began to hoard gold and then silver coins. Gold, silver, and subsequently copper coins completely disappeared from circulation and ended up in the hands of the population and in the form of treasures.

After a long break, the coin returned to monetary circulation in Soviet times. At the final stage of the monetary reform of 1922-1924. Previously prepared silver coins in denominations of 10, 15, 20, 50 kopecks were put into circulation. and 1 rub. and copper coins of 1, 2, 3 and 5 kopecks. Thus, the first coin program of the USSR Government was implemented. However, at the end of the 20s, it was finally recognized that minting coins from gold, silver and copper “eats” a huge amount of expensive and scarce metals. This was understood even in pre-revolutionary Russia. In 1910-1911 The Ministry of Finance, together with the mint, has developed a program to replace expensive silver in small change coins with nickel alloys, which have been used since the mid-19th century. successfully used in coinage by some European countries. In the future, it was planned to mint bronze coins. In 1911, test nickel coins were produced, but the coin reform was not completed: the war and then the revolution interfered. It was implemented already during the Soviet period.

In the second half of the 20s, the minting of copper and silver coins was still ongoing, the choice of material for new coins had already been made: bronze and copper-nickel alloy. In 1930, a trial minting of copper-nickel coins was made in denominations from 10 to 20 kopecks , and the Leningrad Mint began their mass production at the end of 1931. In those years, the range of materials from which they were made was determined. Russian coins and now.

Add to bookmarks

Add comments

Jupiter's assistant

Surely, you can find a couple of coins in every person’s wallet. They are convenient to pay in transport or buy coffee from the machine. And not many people thought about where and how the very first coin was made.

The word “coin” itself came to us from Latin and is translated as “advisor”. It was this title that Juno, the wife of Jupiter, had. Juno was believed to predict enemy attacks or natural disasters for the Romans. Near the Temple of Juno (located near Rome) there were workshops where they minted metal coins. However, these are not the very first coins.

Ancient find

As a result of multiple excavations, it was established that the very first coin was a stater. This coin was discovered in the territory of ancient Lydia. Now this territory belongs to Palestine and Turkey. Archaeologists have determined that the age of this coin is at least 3200 years. Research has led archaeologists to believe that the creator of the coin was Phi Don (VII century BC). Phi Don was the ruler of the island of Aegina. It was on this island that one of the most ancient mints was located. Also, there is an opinion that the first coin appeared under King Ardis (685 BC).

The stater was made from an alloy of silver and gold. This alloy is commonly called electrum. One side of the coin had a lion on it, while the other side was blank. From other sources you can find out that back side there was a stamp that spoke about the value of the coin. The shape of the stater was oval, not round, as it is now. Initially, the stater was made of gold or silver. One gold stater was worth between 20 and 28 drachmas. Also, one gold stater could be exchanged for 2 silver staters. Around the same period (5th century BC), dariks began to appear - coins made of high-grade gold. It is believed that the darik is the very first coin made of pure gold. Based on this opinion, the first coin made of pure gold appeared under the Lydian king Croesus.

A lion is more valuable than a turtle

It was later determined that there were coins with the image of a sea turtle. These coins had a lower value than those depicting a roaring lion (stater). Also, coins with images of various mythical creatures were found, but these coins did not have much value and were rare.

The main reason for the appearance of coins on the territory of Lydia was that there was active trade between countries and various tribes. This is evidenced by the fact that staters are still found during research and excavations on the territory of Celtic settlements. Initially, ordinary pieces of gold or silver were used as coins. However, the pieces had different weights and, accordingly, prices. Therefore, there was a need to standardize money.

Long-lived coin

Also, it is worth noting that the stater was quite popular. This is confirmed by the written mention that can be found in the Gospel of Matthew (17: 24-27). There we are talking about the miracle of Jesus associated with the stater. This mention makes it possible to verify the age of the stater. Another confirmation is that the stater was in circulation for about 8 centuries!

However, not everyone recognizes the stater as the very first coin. Some claim that the very first coin was minted in China (12th century BC). Unlike the stater, these coins were in circulation only in China and had a special royal seal, which testified to their authenticity. The seal had a design of a bull or lion's head.

Others claim that the most ancient coin belongs to the territory of North America and its age is 50 thousand years. However, none of these coins have ever been found. Therefore, these are just assumptions.