The name of Peter 1 has already become synonymous with the word "innovation." It was this man who carried out in Russia a huge number of transformations that turned the backward agrarian country into a world-class power. He did not bypass his attention to the monetary system: after the reform of the beginning of the eighteenth century, a silver coin of Peter 1 appeared in denominations of one ruble, in addition, copper pennies were introduced, and later gold rubles also entered the circulation. But first things first.
How it all began
The first silver coins of Peter 1 - half a half, half a half, hryvnia and ten money, which was the equivalent of five cents. Interestingly, the pennies of lower denomination were minted from an alloy of copper. There were, of course, gold coins, but they were issued very few, which is why now they (samples 1704, for example, years) are valued quite high. Certain changes occurred in 1718: two-ruble money was introduced into circulation with a portrait of the then tsar. The coin of 1724 also became a sensation. Peter 1 began its coinage in St. Petersburg.
Ruble evolution
Of course, the most important of the coins has undergone changes throughout its existence. The very first sample, 1702, was minted on the basis of a thaler: the primary drawing was interrupted by the press, which is why it was partially preserved on some coins of that period.
The next coin of Peter 1 is 1707. There were only two options, differing only in the portrait of the king: one by Haupt, the other by Guen, a more prolific and talented artist. It was his portrait that was applied to the ruble until 1723. Another innovation was the chasing of their own coin circles instead of primary thalers.
But in the future, the coins of Peter 1, the ruble in particular, worsened. Firstly, the sample decreased and, accordingly, the mass. The inscription on the reverse, which read “The Maneta Good Price Ruble,” increased, which did not add love to it at all: it is these very samples of 1712-14 that very little have been preserved and all of them are of disgusting quality.
New turn
“COIN A NEW RUBLE PRICE” - it was from this that the new coin of Peter the Great began. Minting now took place in Moscow (rubles returned to Petersburg only in 1724), more silver was used. The circle of people who took part in the creation of money also expanded: scientists still cannot accurately name all the engravers, because some of them simply did not sign their stamps. The most famous of them was Osip Kalashnikov, who was the "master" - this is the highest rank in the hierarchy of stamp cutters.
In 1721, Peter 1 became emperor, and this could not but reflect the coin, which he adorned with the inscription of his new title. The number of these first imperial coins, minted in 1722, is limited: a year before they used too much metal from the country's reserves, and the authorities did not want to spoil the quality of money. The obverse still used a portrait of the famous Guen.
The coins of Peter 1 of 1723 were already slightly different: emperor’s robes were thrown on the emperor’s shoulders, and a little later new money appeared , where the sovereign presented in antique armor. There are only two varieties of these, plate, coins: with the sign of Kalashnikov and without it.
"Solnechniki"
Contemporaries believe that stopping Peter in his quest for change was impossible. So, he dreamed of his own mint in the capital, but something constantly hindered the grand idea of the sovereign. The collegiate, as it was called, the mint opened its doors in 1723. And soon a new coin appeared. Peter 1 1 ruble of 1724 ordered to mint Russian coins on thalers and obsolete rubles using the same technology as before: the metal was flattened by the press, and then a new, European, portrait of the sovereign was applied to it.
Variations
This time, the engravers showed more imagination: the coins of 1724 differ not only in the portrait of the emperor, but also in individual decorative elements, the presence of which has a huge impact on the modern price of Peter's rubles.
Money is equally valued by collectors, where on the obverse the circular inscription at the top of the coin is separated by a dot or a cross (or a small cross). For them, amateurs want to get about nine hundred dollars. Rubles are considered to be a higher class, where this very upper inscription is divided by a star, large or small - here the price of the issue is already about nine hundred and twenty dollars. Well, the coin is considered the most valuable, where the circular inscription is separate, in addition, the trefoil is also present, in this case the price rises to one and a half thousand!
Money also differed by the portrait of the sovereign himself. The so-called “Sailor”, it is in this image that Peter is depicted on a number of coins, estimated from four hundred seventy to five hundred and fifty dollars, it all depends on the presence of the initials of the engraver. For the ruble, on which the sovereign is depicted in armor, a sort of reference to the money of 1722, collectors offer a thousand eight hundred dollars. And Peter breaks all records with shoulder pads on the sleeve: the price of a coin is two thousand conventional units.
What next?
“Solnechniki” very soon began to mint in another mint of St. Petersburg, Trubetskoy. The capital actively minted new coins until 1725, and they, by the way, differed from those produced in Moscow: the latter were several millimeters smaller in diameter. The amount of silver used was the same as in the earliest rubles of the beginning of the century, so people were already satisfied with the quality of this money.
"Mourning rubles"
After the death of the emperor in 1725, the mints did not immediately switch to minting new coins, as was established. The obverse changed only after four months, and even then, the portrait of the new sovereign, Catherine, was distinguished by modesty and restraint, and the absence of signs of imperial power. According to one version of the numismatists, she wanted to emphasize the mourning for her deceased spouse. Over time, the coin of Peter 1 completely gave way to the “mourning” ruble.
Conclusion
The role of Peter the Great in Russian history is really huge. This man turned the stagnant world upside down; he changed everything that he could change. It was the reforms of the first emperor that gave Russia the opportunity to become the great power that it was for many more years. And who knows, it would be possible this greatness without a new monetary system, which went down in history with its Peter rubles.