Various museums and collectors, numismatists dream of getting coins of Catherine 2 in their collections , which are a kind of thread connecting us with the distant time when this great empress was on the throne. During her reign, reforms and reforms touched all spheres of life, which led to the flourishing of science and art. Significant changes also affected coinage. The Empress has always kept under special control issues relating to the issuance of new gold, silver and copper coins. Many unique copies of coins of that time have reached our time. Some of them are in excellent condition and are of great value, being the subject of pride and admiration for numismatists from around the world.
Gold coins of Catherine 2
They are certainly among the most valuable. Most of the gold coins were minted at the mint in St. Petersburg. Historians have information about the issuance of these banknotes of the following denominations: 2, 5, 10 rubles, 1 ruble, chervonets, poltina.
Gold coins of Catherine 2 were not used by ordinary people, but were distributed exclusively within the yard.
The material of the ten ruble coins of 1762 and 1763 was gold of the 917th test. The weight of each instance was more than 16 grams. One of the sides was necessarily decorated with a portrait of Catherine herself (fashion designer T. Ivanov), on the second side was depicted a coat of arms. It should be noted that the profile picture of the empress on gold coins was edited several times: on some copies the empress is depicted with a scarf, and on others this garment is missing.
If we talk about the cost, then ten-ruble coins are the most expensive. The cost of some copies can reach 200 thousand dollars.
Silver coins
Silver coins of Catherine 2 (see photo below) were widely distributed. Mints minted them in large numbers. It is known that at that time there were 10, 20, 15 kopecks, half a cent, a fifty, and ruble made of silver. Obverse adorned the profile of the bust of Catherine 2, also available on the above gold coins. Only on the ruble of 1775 was another portrait of the empress depicted by V. Klimov.
Siberian coin: 10 kopecks
This copper coin is strikingly different from its own kind. Its feature is primarily in the quality of the copper from which it was made. It was mined at the Kolyvan mine, namely in the copper found there were impurities of gold and silver. At that time, it was still not possible to extract these impurities from the base metal. Such copper had its abbreviation - KM. These 10 kopek coins were issued between 1766 and 1781 until all deposits were depleted in the Kolyvan mine.
Siberian 10 kopecks were distributed only on its territory. On one side was an image of the coat of arms of Siberia (two sables near the shield). Today, the cost of copper Siberian coins varies from 100 to 600 dollars.
Sestroretsk rubles
Coins of Catherine 2, such as the Sestretsian rubles, were minted to provide paper banknotes. Their production was started in 1770. The weight of a coin with a face value of one ruble was 1 kg, and these banknotes were produced at the Sestroretsk arms factory. The material for the manufacture of coins was the copper trunks of old weapons. When Catherine 2 issued a decree on the production of such coins, she did not suspect how long and laborious the processes of hacking and creating blanks would turn out to be. When this became clear, an unusual undertaking had to be abandoned. But preserved test specimens have survived to this day. The cost of the Sestroretsk ruble can reach 50 thousand dollars.
There are other varieties of coins of Catherine 2, which preserve the memory of the time of the reign of this great empress. With their features, individual design and an unusual history of origin, they give an idea of life in those distant times.