The emergence of coins in Russia dates back to the period when disparate Slavic tribes existed separately - before unification under the leadership of one prince. Over time and the change in political structure, the form and quality of old money changed until it acquired its present appearance. What were the "ancestors" of modern means of measure of value until the collapse of the Russian Empire, we will consider in the article.
A bit of history
Before the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol on the territory of Ancient Russia, exchange in kind prevailed, but some areas in which trade was developed could see foreign silver coins distributed by merchants.
In the 8-10th centuries, an Arab silver coin (dirham) was firmly entrenched in Russia - large in size and weighing almost 3.5 g. Own old money - coins - began to be minted after the Baptism of Rus at the end of the 10th century. These were “pieces of silver” - with the image of drawings in the manner of the golden solid parts of Byzantium - and “goldmen” - gold coins with a small circulation. The 11th century is characterized by the appearance in some parts of Russia of West European denarii (with the image of a cross and weighing a little more than 1 gram).
Period of fragmentation
When the Battle of Kulikovo took place (1380), the influence of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Russia became not so significant. This led to the revival of trade between the principalities, the epicenter of which was Moscow, where the first coinage of its own coins began. The following were the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod Principality, Novgorod, Ryazan and Pskov. Antique money of that period was a silver coin with the names of money merchants, through which they were minted. Money differed in weight and fineness of silver, stigma and patterns, but on the whole they were visually similar to each other within the borders of one principality. The method of minting was also interesting: for almost three hundred years, the process of making coins was reduced to flattening pieces of silver wire with the subsequent minting of images and inscriptions on them. Thus, the quality of the coins was terrible: small and uneven, they often did not fit a full image on their area, could be partially uncoated and with different weights.
First names
At first, the face value of old Russian money was unified and was called the Tatar word “denga”, later there were half and quarter (1/2 and ¼ dengi). Novgorod, Tver and Ryazan were noted for issuing their own small coins - pools, outwardly similar to dengue, but with much less value. In some principalities, over time, the coin could change in weight, especially Moscow was so different during the reign of Vasily the Dark.
"Standardization" of coins in united Russia
The unification of principalities with a center in Moscow during the time of Vasily III led to confusion in the monetary system. Different coin systems in cities greatly complicated the work of merchants who needed to distinguish all coins by weight and type, be able to set the price in each of them and distinguish fake from real ones.
In connection with this, a reform has ripened that would centralize the monetary circulation system. It was carried out in 1534 by Elena Glinsky - the mother (and regent) of the little Prince Ivan IV - and stretched out for 13 years. The reform was characterized by:
- the minting of coins from “raw materials” is state-owned and only on behalf of the head of state;
- the creation of money yards in large cities and the liquidation of all others;
- minting of three types of coins (denga, half and lance money);
- disappearance from circulation of copper pools.
The appearance of old money (photo below) has not changed much and still resembled fish scales with poorly distinguishable inscriptions.
With the arrival of I. Grozny to the throne, a penny with a clear weight of 0.68 grams became the basis of the monetary system. 100 kopecks amounted to the ruble, which became the unit of account. The reign of Tsar Fedor was marked by putting dates on coins.
The "Time of Troubles" and Reforms of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
Time of turmoil hit hard on money circulation in Russia, which negatively affected the weight of old money. In 1612, almost a weightless penny (0.4 g) was issued by the people's militia with the stamps of the former sovereigns and even in the name of the future ruler Mikhail Fedorovich. The latter was noted in the change in the monetary system by the fact that he closed all the money yards, leaving only Moscow. A penny at that time and for a long time weighed 0.48 grams.
With the accession to the throne of the second tsar from the “branch” of the Romanovs, the position of Russia is growing stronger, the territory is expanding due to part of the lands of Ukraine and Belarus, foreign policy is given great attention. All this entailed significant costs along with a shortage of silver in the state. Once again, there is a need to open money (Novgorod and Pskov) and temporary yards for minting copper coins. The size and weight of these copper "scales" was completely repeated and was equivalent to silver pennies. Also, the ancient money of that period was copper altyns, which weighed 1.2 g and were equated to three kopecks. The first ruble coin, equal to 100 kopecks, was put into circulation by the reforms of Aleksey “The Quietest”.
The minting of copper coins stopped in 1662 after a copper riot, which occurred as a result of the constant depreciation of this money in the market and, as a result, the depreciation of the labor of peasants who received a salary of copper.
Reforms of Peter I
Peter the Great played a large role in the fate of ancient Russian money through reforms lasting almost 27 years (1696-1723). At first, large round coins were introduced into circulation: dengue, half and half-coins. This was followed by the appearance of an 8-gram copper penny and silver rubles, half a cent and a half fifty dollars, as well as silver altyns (in negligible amounts). The last appeared hryvnia, equal to 10 cents, and silver nickels. In addition, the reign of Peter I was remembered for the production of a gold coin - a chervonets, equivalent to a European ducat, and a double chervonets.
In the future, changes in the monetary system until the October Revolution were not so global, only the quality of coinage and image deposition was improved. The ruble for a long period weighed 28 g, but by the end of the 19th century it decreased to 20 g. The gold coin became 1.5 times lighter.
At the time when Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine II ruled, a large copper nickel (50 g) was released, which collectors cherish. The front side of the coin depicted a two-headed eagle, and the reverse - the ruler's monogram. Also this historical segment is marked by the minting of the first gold 5 and 10 rubles, called “semi-imperial” and “imperial”.
Platinum coins
It turns out that the “monetary” history of Russia boasts coins of such a valuable metal as platinum. Their minting in denominations of 3, 6, and 12 rubles was made during the time of Nicholas I. But the demand for such coins was small in view of their large weight and similarity to silver, which often led to confusion. Therefore, their release was discontinued.
Vintage paper money
Russia first saw paper money, called bank notes, in 1769. Their appearance had a positive effect on the replenishment of the gold, silver and copper reserves of the state treasury. But their weak “coating” with coins led to a weakening of the exchange rate, which depreciated the paper ruble by 1813 to 20 kopecks.
In 1839, new paper money was put into use, fully secured by silver, which was exchanged for deposit and then credit tickets. These changes were completed in 1843, when all deposit tickets were exchanged for credit at the equivalent exchange rate, and banknotes - in the ratio of 3.5 to 1. Circulation was carried out only with hard paper money, which could easily be exchanged for coins.
The "finale" of the monetary system of the empire
By the beginning of the 20th century, the paper ruble was quite firmly “standing on its feet” as a result of the new gold standard system and was more readily accepted in payments than gold and silver coins. This was due to a more convenient form of exchange and storage. Payments were made by credit cards of various denominations (1-500 rubles). Banknotes were distinguished by high purchasing power and complex design, photos of old paper money illustrate this perfectly. One ruble was enough to feed for a week, but a face value of 500 rubles could be found only among wealthy segments of the population.
The situation was reversed with the outbreak of World War I, which led to the uncontrolled printing of money for the needs of the army. This had a number of negative consequences:
- canceling the exchange of credit tickets with coins;
- disappearance from circulation of a gold coin;
- the termination of the minting of silver and copper coins.
Only paper money remains in circulation , and the population hides coins until better times. And when the February Revolution took place, the ruble’s reputation was shaken, which led to its depreciation.