Perhaps there is no such numismatist who would not know about a whole series of coins in denominations of 10 rubles, called the "City of Military Glory." Her samples were first released in 2011, and since then interest in her has not faded. Many people in Russia and abroad began to acquire these unique coins, as they have some individual characteristics.
Cities of Military Glory
The settlements that are awarded this title are cities on the territory or near which fierce battles took place, where the defenders of the Motherland showed extraordinary stamina, courage and heroism.
In connection with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, signed in December 2006, they were assigned the status of “City of Military Glory”. A special commemorative stele with the image of the coat of arms and the text of the presidential decree on conferring the honorary title on him must be installed. In addition, in these cities various ceremonies and festive fireworks are held dedicated to the City Day, May 9 and February 23.
Some people do not see much point in highlighting just a few dozen settlements. Since during the Great Patriotic War, severe battles were fought throughout the European part of Russia. Therefore, it seems somewhat strange to single out a particular city and its significance in front of the country, if this disaster affected all settlements without exception.
Coin issue
It was decided to issue commemorative coins of the “City of Military Glory” in the order in which decrees on the assignment of this title were issued. At the very beginning, the series was planned to be completed in a 4-year period, but over time it became clear that production could continue for some time, since every year new resolutions were issued.
In accordance with the law, commemorative coins made of base metal are transferred to the banks of the city or region to which they were dedicated. Therefore, if you are lucky, then they can give you exactly the change. But if you have absolutely no desire to wait for such a happy accident, then you can easily purchase jubilee coins of the “City of Military Glory” in numerous online stores and at auctions.
With the current coin release schedule, which is 8 pieces per year, the series will continue to be issued until at least 2015, provided that there are no new decrees on assigning this status to other cities.
In 2011-2013, the procedure for minting money completely coincided with the presidential decrees on conferring the honorary titles of the “City of Military Glory”. Coins issued in 2014 do not follow this order. After the publication of money with the coat of arms of Vyborg, everyone expected that the next image would be Kalach-on-Don. Instead, they made a coin of Stary Oskol, while missing 6 cities.
It should be noted the fact that the coat of arms of Malgobek was slightly changed after the money was put into circulation. This is due to some inaccuracies noted by the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation.
Specifications
In 2011, the Central Bank of Russia begins to issue 10 rubles coins of the City of Military Glory. The place of their coinage is the mint of St. Petersburg. They are made of steel with an additional brass galvanic coating of quality anti-circulation. The thickness of the coin is 2.2 mm, the diameter is 22 mm, and the total weight is 2.63 g. It is issued in a circulation of 10 million copies each.
All coins were made according to the sketches of the artist A. A. Brynza. The sculptor during the creation of some copies was made by A.N. Bessonov, and the rest were modeled using a computer.
External data of the coin “Cities of Military Glory” are quite bright and attractive due to its coating. But without proper care, gloss can be lost over time.
Description
On the obverse in the center of the coin the face value is displayed - 10 rubles. If you look at a certain angle, then inside the zero you can see the number 10 and the inscription "rub". Inscriptions are located around the edging: “Bank of Russia” on the top and 2014 date on the bottom. In addition, on the sides there are images of branches: olive on the left and oak on the right.
The reverse of coin 10 of the City of Military Glory is always very interesting. On top of it is the name of the series written on the tape, and below - the city itself. Each coin dedicated to a particular locality that has received an honorary title has an image of its coat of arms.
First samples
The series of coins “Cities of Military Glory” begins with eight copies minted in 2011 and dedicated to the cities: Yelnya, Yelets, Oryol, Belgorod, Rzhev, Kursk, Malgobek and Vladikavkaz. All of them have the same obverse and differ from each other only in reverse.
Belgorod was the very first to be awarded the status of “City of Military Glory”, and this is not surprising. He was subjected to German occupation twice. The first time - from the end of October 1941 to February 1943, and the second - from mid-March to early August 1943. He was liberated by Soviet troops during fierce battles on the Kursk (Fire) arc.
At the end of April 2007, a decree was signed by the President of Russia on conferring the title on him, and on May 23, 2011, coins of the “City of Military Glory” dedicated to this heroic city and its liberators were put into circulation.
year 2012
8 coins were also minted during this period, and they were dedicated to the cities of Dimitrov, Tuapse, Rostov-on-Don, Luga, Veliky Novgorod, Polyarny, Voronezh and Velikiye Luki.
On April 2, a coin dedicated to Voronezh appeared in circulation. She continued the series “Cities of Military Glory”. At the very beginning of the Second World War, the factories of Voronezh launched the production of military products so necessary for the front.
On June 9, 1942, motorized infantry and tank forces of the enemy managed to break through to the city and capture its right-bank side. And his left-bank part was defended. In July, a large group of fascist troops tried to break through to Stalingrad. But the brave defenders of the city managed to stop them and frustrate the barbaric plans of the Nazi command.
For 212 days, the front line was on the territory of Voronezh, where Soviet troops tried to restrain the onslaught of about 10 German divisions. As a result, these actions helped to defend and protect Stalingrad, as well as completely disrupt the enemy’s summer swift offensive. During the fighting, Voronezh was almost destroyed, and most of its inhabitants ended up in occupied territory.
Series continues
2013 was marked by the release of all the same 8 coins. On their reverse are coats of arms of the cities: Vyazma, Volokolamsk, Naro-Fominsk, Bryansk, Arkhangelsk, Kronstadt, Pskov and Kozelsk.
Coins, issued on April 1 and dedicated to Vyazma, continued a series of jubilee ten rubles. It was in the region of this city in October 1941 that perhaps the most dramatic defensive operation took place not only during the years of the Second World War, but throughout the entire existence of the Russian state. Here, German troops managed to defeat the huge, almost million-strong group of the Red Army. According to the German side, more than 660 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers were captured.
In 1942, forces of two fronts, Kalininsky and Zapadny, tried to liberate the city of Vyazma, for which a truly large-scale Rzhev-Vyazemsky attack was launched, which also ended in failure. It is considered one of the bloodiest battles of that war.
The occupation of Vyazma lasted 17 long months. During this time, enemy troops almost razed it to the ground, and most civilians died. In March 1943, Vyazma was released.
year 2014
To date, 6 coins dedicated to the cities included in the series have already been issued. These are Vladivostok, Vyborg, Tikhvin, Nalchik, Tver and Stary Oskol. The Central Bank also plans to issue two more coins of 10 rubles this year “Cities of Military Glory” - Kolpino and Anapa.
On April 1, a coin appeared dedicated to Nalchik - the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. As in many cities of the Soviet Union, wartime products for the front were produced here. From the end of October 1941 to the beginning of January 1943, Nalchik was occupied by the Germans. During this time, he underwent very significant destruction, but immediately after being liberated from enemy troops, the city began to be rebuilt.
2015 year
As it became known, next year the Bank of Russia plans to issue another eight coins. This list of cities includes: Khabarovsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kovrov, Maloyaroslavets, Taganrog, Kalach-on-Don, as well as Lomonosov and Mozhaysk.
Many collectors today already ask themselves: “And what is the value of the coin of the“ City of Military Glory ”and how much can it really cost?” Professionals recommend taking a sober view of evaluating each item in the collection before deciding to sell it or buy it at auction. It should be remembered that the main value of the Russian coin “Cities of Military Glory” lies in the fact that it tells about the heroic past of our great country.