In 1897, the then Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire S. Yu. Witte carried out a monetary reform in the country, which led to the elimination of coins of various denominations made of silver. Subsequently, the Nicholas 2 coin, or the so-called Nikolaev ruble, became the main means of payment in the state. In addition, from the indicated time until 1915, according to the decree governing issuing operations, the State Bank received the right to issue new notes secured by gold.
The history of coinage
It was after the Witte monetary reform that silver coins began to function as a physical means of payment attached to the recently introduced gold face value. This circumstance could not but entail the state monetary charter itself.
At the beginning of June 1899, the monarch signed a document of a new edition of the monetary charter, which stated that the Nikolaev ruble or the coins of Nicholas 2 would now become the monetary unit of the Russian Empire. The silver contained in them amounted to 18 g of the share of this pure metal.
New Russian silver coins played the role of an auxiliary means of payment in the territory of the Russian state, therefore this money was obligatory for acceptance only in those payments where the amount did not exceed 25 units. At the same time, there was no more than 3 rubles per resident of the country.
Description
The obverse of the silver coin of Nicholas 2 is crowned with his portrait in profile, with the face turned to the left. Embossed inscriptions frame it: on the right - “AND SAMORODZHETS ALLOSOSS.”, And on the left - “B.M. NICHOLAS II THE EMPEROR. " Above the portrait of the Russian autocrat, located on the ruble of 1899, the famous carver Anton Vasyutinsky worked.
Typically, the reverse of coins that were circulated on the territory of the Russian Empire, including the silver coin of Nicholas 2 of 1899, is decorated with a small emblem of the state, which depicts a crowned two-headed eagle holding the Power and Scepter in its paws. On the chest of the bird is a shield. It depicts St. George the Victorious. The wings of the eagle are decorated with small shields, on which are the coats of arms of all the provinces that were then part of the Russian state.
Under the imperial emblem are large capital letters denoting the face value of the silver coin - “RUBLE” and the year of its issue - “1899 G.” Between the two inscriptions is a small curly asterisk.
On the edge of the coin of Nicholas 2, there is an indented inscription across the entire circumference, informing about the composition of the material from which the money was made: “PURE SILVER 4 ZOLOTNIKA 21 SHARES”. In addition, in the same place in parentheses is the sign of the Mintmeister: Felix Zelemn (F.Z.) or Elikum Babayants (E.B.), the mint of St. Petersburg. I must say that this money was minted not only in Russia, but also by special order in Belgium. Based on this, the Mintzmeister’s badge was absent on them, and instead there was a special designation.
Coin options
The diameter of the silver ruble of Emperor Nicholas 2 is 33.65 mm, its mass is 20 g, and its thickness is 2.6 mm. For its coinage, metal AG900, silver 900, was used. The total circulation of the coin was more than 6.5 million copies. She is part of the series "Nikolai 2".
Special instances
Today it is known that silver coins of Nicholas 2 issue of 1899 have several distinctive features. These include various technical defects, for example, non-embossing of some individual elements of the picture, the complete absence of inscriptions on the edge, and the incorrect arrangement of the reverse with respect to the obverse. It is worth noting here that coins with such flaws can be much more expensive than ordinary coins.
Despite the fact that the Nikolaev ruble was issued in huge circulation, coins in good condition are rather difficult to find. This is because they have been in circulation for more than two decades. In this regard, the price of a well-preserved coin that has survived to this day may even exceed the value of a gold piece!