For more than two centuries of history of the Russian monetary system, it was not customary to mint commemorative coins. Very rare coins dedicated to historical events - commemorative rubles for the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, the 200th anniversary of the Gangut victory - were minted in tsarist Russia. The Mint of the Soviet Union in 1924 issued a silver ruble and fifty kopecks, whose symbols fit into the theme of October and reflect the ideas proclaimed by the revolution. These are the first commemorative coins of the USSR - a young socialist state.
The tradition of minting commemorative coins
A stable tradition of minting coins for anniversaries and memorable dates began in 1965 when, on the 20th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany, metal rubles were issued depicting a monument to the Warrior-Liberator in Treptower Park, Berlin. Since then, a series of Soviet commemorative coins of a certain subject were regularly minted, for example, Monuments of the Motherland, Coins of the Great October Revolution, and others.
Technology for the production of commemorative coins
Making a coin of that time is a complex process. According to the approved sketch, the master engraver made a sketch from wax or clay, the size of which is five times larger than the planned coin size. The height of the relief details did not exceed one millimeter. A plaster mold was removed from a carefully crafted original, according to which a solid model was made. Now models are made of plastic. Previously, epoxy was used for these purposes. Before obtaining the resin and introducing it into production, the model was made in an extremely imperfect and labor-intensive galvanoplastic way.
Then, on the engraving and copying machine, the image from the model was transferred in a reduced form to the size of the future coin onto a steel billet. This was followed by engraving, turning and heat treatment of the future coin. A negative image was minted from the finished model. The result was a finished tool for minting a coin - a stamp.
Coins with errors - numismatist's dream
Depending on the circulation of the coins planned for release, a different number of stamps for minting was made. The share of manual labor in their manufacture was great. Sometimes the stamps differed in the elaboration of the details or they made a mistake. Such coins are especially appreciated by numismatists, the most expensive are coins with performance errors. Modern prices for Soviet commemorative coins of the same series differ significantly due to slight differences in the engraving or the width of the edging.
October series
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution in 1967, the USSR State Bank issued a series of commemorative coins of various denominations - 10, 15, 20, 50 kopecks and 1 ruble. This is the only series of Soviet commemorative coins in which there were coins of less than a ruble denomination. The reason for the refusal to issue commemorative coins nominated in kopecks is the difficulty of manufacturing a high-quality small stamp.
On a ruble and fifty kopecks coin, a figure of Lenin is depicted against a massive hammer and sickle, engraver Nikolai Filippov. On a coin of the USSR in 15 kopecks - a sculpture by V. Mukhina "Worker and Collective Farm Girl", on a 20-penny coin - the legendary cruiser Aurora.
The first jubilee ruble of the series was minted in a circulation of 52,711,250 coins, of which 211,250 were collector's pieces - diamond-uncirculated and proof-like. The current price of 1 ruble “50 years of Soviet power” among numismatists depends on the quality of coinage and ranges from 200 rubles. per coin for poorly maintained mass circulation of money up to 30 thousand rubles for a well-preserved proof-of-proof coin.
In a series of commemorative coins dedicated to the October Revolution, a portrait of V. I. Lenin as one of the founders of Marxism-Leninism was necessarily minted. The sign issued one Soviet commemorative coin for the 50th and 60th anniversaries, and three coins for the 70th anniversary of the memorable date.
Increase in the value of commemorative coins
In the series of coins dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the October Revolution, in addition to becoming a traditional one-ruble denomination, coins of three and five rubles denominations were minted. The five-ruble coin had a diameter of 39 mm, which is the largest of those issued in the USSR. Subsequent coins were issued with a diameter of 35 mm.
On the reverse of the five-ruble coin is a bas-relief of Lenin against the background of a stylized banner panel, the folds of which form the date 1917. The composition is supplemented by a commemorative inscription and a laurel branch.
On the reverse of a three-ruble coin, a composition difficult to perform, symbolizing the main forces of the revolution: a peasant soldier, a worker and a sailor with rifles in their hands.
The ruble coin of this issue with the image of the cruiser Aurora is interesting in the elaboration of the smallest details, up to the rigging of the ship, in contrast to the generalized image of the legendary cruiser on a twenty-copeck coin of 1967.
Series "Classics of Marxism-Leninism"
For the first time in 1970, the ruble was minted for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lenin. The author of the miniature, as well as coins in honor of Marx and Engels, issued in 1983, is the artist of the Moscow Goznak factory V. A. Ermakov. A classic type of image of the leader of the revolution in profile is minted on a coin.
Later, a commemorative ruble coin marked the 115th anniversary of the birth of the leader of the revolution.
Commemorative coins dedicated to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are unique.
On previously issued coins, all portraits were minted in profile. It’s easier to portray and achieve the greatest resemblance to the original. It is extremely difficult to achieve similarities and convey facial expressions, with only tenths, hundredths of a millimeter. The engraving artist must have a special sense of relief and metal.
High quality coinage
From the Olympics-80, an innovation was actually introduced specifically for collectors in Russian numismatics: high-quality coins were issued. In numismatics, such a technology is indicated by the English word “evidence”. In this case, the process of creating a coin is very complicated. Firstly, the engraver should make more relief than usual, given the fact that the stamp plane will then be polished to a mirror finish. But even before polishing, the image is “matted” - it is treated with an abrasive powder sprayed with an air stream. After this treatment, the surface becomes silver-matte, as if burning from the inside. Finished products must not be touched: they are placed in a plastic case. In this version, the Mint re-minted all previously issued coins, starting from the 1965 issue, including the October series.
Series "Olympic Games 1980"
The Moscow Olympics was a significant political event, and in 1977-1980 the Goznak issued a stunningly beautiful series of 45 coins with the symbols of the Olympic Games. Coins were of various denominations, from 1 ruble of the USSR to 150 rubles, made of both copper-nickel alloy and high-grade precious metals: gold, silver and platinum.
The reverse of copper-nickel coins depicted symbolism, the city of the event and the sports facilities of the Olympics-80.
A series of platinum coins was dedicated to the history of the Olympic Games. Stylized modern Olympic and folk sports are minted on silver commemorative coins. On gold coins - symbols of the Moscow Olympics and sports facilities.
These beautiful Soviet coins show the diversity of Olympic and national sports and are an excellent monument to an interesting era in recent world history.