One of the business cards of St. Petersburg is rightfully considered to be its mint - one of the most famous in the world. Founded in 1724, it has become over time the largest producer of coins - including gold and silver, orders, insignia and other products from non-ferrous metals. The St. Petersburg Mint is among the first industrial enterprises founded in the Northern capital.
Mint on the Neva
Among the historical documents of the Petrine era, the emperor’s registered decree dated December 12, 1724 was preserved. In it, the highest command on the territory of the newly built Peter and Paul Fortress to establish the minting of gold coins. The St. Petersburg Mint considers this date to be its birthday. It was then that the Russian coins were first adorned with the abbreviation "SPB", so familiar to all coin collectors these days and which, until 1914, became the hallmark of St. Petersburg minting.
For the period since its foundation, coins of various denominations of gold, platinum and silver were minted at the enterprise. Separate foreign orders were also carried out. These include the production of Dutch ducats in 1768-1769 and Turkish piastres from 1808 to 1809. Since 1833, the production of Russian coins was established, which had a double Russian-Polish denomination. The issuance of such coins continued until 1841.
Re-minting of old and new coin production
When on the peripheral mints, such as Tauride (in Feodosia), Suzunsky (in Siberia) and Tiflis, the production of the next types of coins was established, then their trial series were made, as a rule, on the banks of the Neva. Here, in 1911, test coins were minted from nickel. The development of technology for their manufacture was carried out directly in the laboratory of the mint.
It is known that from 1762 to 1796, re-minting of coins was repeatedly carried out in Russia, that is, giving previously minted coins a different image using a new stamp. This was caused by economic reasons. To implement the program, the St. Petersburg Mint was chosen as the most suitable in terms of its technical capabilities.
Due to a sufficiently high technological level of production, mother liquors are often made here - stamps with embossed image for domestic mints, as well as for a number of foreign enterprises that have signed contracts with the Russian government.
Award Badge Production
In addition to the products listed, the St. Petersburg Mint for many years performed work on the production of medals and orders. This constituted a separate and very important area of his activity. Such production is of a certain complexity, since it requires both a high technological and artistic level of execution. History has preserved many of the names of outstanding medalists of past centuries.
Scientific research in the laboratory of the enterprise
The Mint also has a great merit in the development of domestic science and technology. As early as the middle of the 18th century, scientific work began on its walls to separate noble metals. The names of famous Russian inventors such as A.K. Nartov, I.A. Schlatter, P.G. Sobolevsky and B.S. Jacobi are closely connected with them. Their activities had a great influence on the progress of Russian technology of the 18th-19th centuries.
In the period from 1876 to 1942, the main place of issue of all types of coins, medals and orders was the St. Petersburg Mint, the sign of which can be seen on most products of that time. In his laboratory, unique technologies were developed related to the cooking of enamels, and mass production of orders and medals was introduced in the production workshops.
Mint during the war
When the war began in 1941, a significant part of the equipment of the enterprise was evacuated to the rear and placed in Krasnokamsk, in the shops of the Goznak paper mill. Forty qualified specialists were sent there from Leningrad to install and set up there.
This is all that the besieged city could help, since the bulk of its workers were at the front or fought in the militia. During the war, when the demand for orders and medals was very high, the mint of Krasnokamsk was not able to fully satisfy it. In this regard, the government decided to create a mint in Moscow, on the territory of the printing factory.
The oldest enterprise of Goznak
Today, the St. Petersburg Mint, whose brand is represented on many modern coins and orders, is part of the Goznak Russian association.
In recent years, the range of products manufactured in it has expanded significantly, since along with state orders, private orders are also carried out, coming both from individuals and from various commercial structures. The acronym SPMD (St. Petersburg Mint) is also well known to all collectors, whose passion is coin collecting.