The introduction of a gold-backed Soviet chervonets. Golden ducat sower

In October 1922, a decision was made to start issuing Soviet gold chervonets in the form of coins. The Soviet chervonets had such characteristics as size, weight equal to 8.6 g and alloy - 900-carat gold, which fully corresponded to the pre-revolutionary ten-ruble coin. AF Vasyutinsky, who was the Chief Medalist of the Mint, developed a drawing for the Soviet gold duct. On the obverse, called the obverse, of this coin the emblem of the RSFSR is minted. On the reverse side of the chervonets, called the reverse, a peasant sower is depicted. The image of this peasant was made according to the sculpture of Shadr. All gold coins of this period bear the date 1923.

Soviet gold chervonets, which depicted a sower, were used mainly for foreign trade. But within Russia, a small part of them were in circulation. At first, these coins were not accepted by Western countries due to the fact that Soviet symbols were imprinted on them. We found a way out quickly. They immediately began to mint gold ducats, on which the deposed Tsar Nicholas II was depicted. Such coins were accepted unconditionally abroad.

In 1924, after the formation of the USSR, the government decided to produce a new type of gold pieces. The coat of arms of the RSFSR was replaced with the coat of arms of the USSR. They released trial copies of copper, on this the issue of new coins was discontinued. At present, copper chervonets from 1925 are unique, six copies are known to date. These coins are very expensive - 8 million rubles can reach the price of one coin. Three copies of Soviet chervonets are kept in museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The other three coins are kept in private collections.
In 1925, the Soviet gold chervonets was equated to ten rubles, gradually went out of circulation and was forgotten.

Before the Moscow Summer Olympics, 80 remembered gold coins with the image of a sower. At that time, the minting of these coins was considered as one of the sources of income. For six years, from 1975 to 1981, 6 million 600 thousand gold pieces were minted. The sample of 1923 was taken as the basis for the Soviet gold chervonets, on which the coat of arms of the RSFSR was minted and new dates were put down.

The new Soviet gold chervonets, with the sower depicted on them, were not legal for their circulation on the territory of the USSR. These coins could be used for sale to foreign tourists or for foreign trade transactions.
Since the mid-1990s, Soviet gold chervonets have been used as investment coins and are successfully sold by both Russian and foreign banks. Gold chervontsy have become legal tender throughout the country since 2001 by a decision that was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia.

For a long time in Russia, the gold chervonets had nothing to do with the denomination of 10 rubles. In the 18th century, a chervonets was called a coin weighing 3.47 grams, on which, in general, there was no denomination designation. The chervonets got their name because they had a shade of red (red) color. Until the reign of Nicholas, the chervonets had an almost unchanged weight - 3.47 grams.

In Russia, chervontsy were called ducats, thalers and tsekhins - externally attractive gold coins. The first chervonets of Russian origin appeared under Peter I. They looked like Dutch money, since the first Russian emperor borrowed a lot from the Dutch. They were engraved with a bust portrait of the king and a two-headed eagle.

Chervonets 1712

All chervontsy, the denomination of which was equal to two rubles 30 kopecks, were intended for foreign trade operations. These Peter's coins did not circulate in Russia. A total of 36 thousand copies were released. Of these, less than five percent have survived to this day.

How much is the gold ducat from the times of Peter the Great? In 2013, a well-preserved 1701 coin was auctioned for 95 thousand euros. In February 2017, the Petrovsky chervonets of the same year of issue left the auction for 70 thousand euros.

Peter II in 1729 again began to mint coins in high standard gold. The value of the coins of this emperor, who died at fifteen and ruled for only two and a half years, is also quite high. The chervontsy, where Peter is depicted with a bow at the laurel wreath, were sold at auction for 120 thousand dollars. The highest price - 170 thousand dollars - was offered for the 1729 duvet of excellent preservation.

Little chervontsev of the next empress, Anna Ioannovna, has survived to this day. Therefore, they rarely appear at auctions and are quite expensive. The cost of the gold piece, which was auctioned off in 2017, was $ 200,000.

Chervontsy emperors of the 18th century

The empress's royal chervonets can be divided into two types. The first includes coins with the image of St. Andrew the First-Called, the second - with the image of the two-headed eagle, the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Beginning in 1762, the minting of gold coins was entirely concentrated in St. Petersburg. Sometimes ducats of double value were produced.

Elizabeth began to indicate the month of issue and the place of minting. Under her, many gold coins of various denominations were issued. During the reign of the Empress, chervontsy were minted in decent editions. For example, the largest in 1757 was 120 680 pieces. In other years of the reign, less gold coins were minted, from four to 20 thousand.

Chervontsy during the reign of Elizabeth, despite the large circulation, have a high value. For example, a ducat of 1751 was bought for 85 thousand dollars.

Catherine's chervonets were minted from 1762 to 1796 in small editions in St. Petersburg:

1763 - 50 thousand copies;

1766 - 28,344 copies;

1796 - 39,981 copies.

The stamp was changed several times. Coins of different years show how the empress changed. On coins of 1796, she appears with a double chin and signs of age. Most likely, the empress was not embarrassed by such portraits.

Pavel became the penultimate Russian emperor, under which gold coins were issued. This coin had a significant difference from others. Paul was extremely disliked by his own appearance (this opinion was shared by all the emperor's close associates), so he, with the greatest command, forbade the minting of his image on money.

On one side of Pavlov's chervonets there was an inscription: "Not us, not us, but your name." On the opposite side, a cross or a two-headed eagle was depicted. Little chervonets were minted; soon they were replaced by coins with an indication of the denomination. The cost of Pavlovsk chervonets at auctions starts at ten thousand dollars.

After Paul I, none of the autocrats minted chervontsy except Nicholas II. In numismatic catalogs, it is not customary to call the ten-ruble notes of Alexander I or Alexander II chervonets. True, under Alexander II, chervonets were called gold coins of three-ruble denomination of 917 standard and weighing 3.93 g.

Chervontsy Nicholas II

During the reign of Nicholas II, the ten-ruble coins and banknotes were finally given the name “chervonets”.

Under Nicholas, chervontsy were minted in millions of copies. In 1914, the Russian Empire ranked first in the world in terms of gold reserves, and part of the gold was stored in coins. It is known, for example, that the circulation of the 1899 gold piece was intended for the country's gold reserves. Although some of the money ended up in circulation. They acquired them at that time mainly for the future and kept them in hiding places.

Gold ducat of Nicholas II

The gold reserve disappeared without a trace during the revolution. And the people, who carefully saved the Nikolaev gold chervonets for a rainy day, did not lose: during the revolution and two world wars, many families fled from hunger and death by selling the tsar's dozens.

The last Russian autocrat resumed the tradition of minting emperors on money. Prior to this, the image of Emperor Alexander III was minted only on ten rubles. Nicholas II decided to put his image on all denominations.

The denomination of ten rubles was indicated on the chervontsy. And the weight was 8.6 grams.

The circulation in different years was:

1898 - 200 thousand copies.

1899 - 27.6 million.

1900 - six million.

1901 - 2.4 million.

1902 - two million.

1903 - 2.8 million.

1904 - one million.

1906 - 10 pieces.

1909 - no information available.

1910 - 100 thousand.

1911 - 50 thousand.

How much is the Nikolaev chervonets of 1899 worth? Since the circulation was 27 million copies, it is easy to assume that these coins are not worth that much. Their average price at auctions is $ 400. Although there are cases when a gold piece was sold for one and a half thousand.

How much is the tsar's gold ducat of 1906 worth? This year's chervontsy are very expensive, as only 10 of them were minted. Three of the coins of this issue have recently appeared at auctions. The most expensive was sold for two hundred thousand dollars.

One of the most inexpensive coins is 1911. Judging by the circulation, there should be very few of them, but in fact, numismatists have accumulated a huge number. Apparently, gold coins continued to be minted after the 1917 revolution. Moreover, this was done not only by the Soviet government, but also by someone abroad. Who preserved and used the original stamps remains one of the most interesting mysteries of numismatics of the 20th century.

Chervonets "Sower" in the USSR

In the country of the Soviets, gold ducats were also issued. In terms of mass, sample and size, they were in no way inferior to the royal ones. The author of the image was the medalist A.F.Vasyutinsky, the author of Nikolai's gold ducat.

The reverse depicted a copy of Shardr's sculpture of a peasant sower as a symbol of the young Soviet state of workers and peasants.

Gold Coin "The Sower" 1923

Gold coins were mainly used by the Soviet government for foreign trade operations. The chervontsy were minted in Moscow.

With the beginning of the release of the "Sower" for settlements abroad, the following incident is associated: the countries of Europe completely refused to accept these coins, since they depicted Soviet symbols.

A way out was found: the Soviet Mint began to issue a gold Nikolaev chervonets. Other countries were quite satisfied with the settlement with tsarist money. And the "Sower" went into circulation within the country. In 1925, the production of Soviet chervonets was discontinued.

In 1975, minting of gold coins was resumed in the USSR. However, they were not legal tender for use within the country. "Sowers", according to the official version, were to become souvenirs for foreign tourists during the 1980 Olympics, as well as serve as a means of payment when buying grain abroad.

Since 1975, a total of 7 350 000 pieces of gold pieces with the image of the sower have been minted. In addition, one hundred thousand coins were minted of improved quality. The last edition of the chervonets was issued in 1982.

It has a long and interesting history that began back in 1922. It was then that the decision was made by the leadership of the young Soviet state to issue a gold piece similar to the Tsar's one, but only with Soviet symbols. In 1923, the coin was issued with a circulation of 2,751,000 pieces.

The gold duct is one of the. The main purpose of the Sower coin was to pay for foreign trade operations. Soviet chervonets did not receive mass distribution among the population.

The sower is one of the main investment coins of Russia, along with such as:

• Sable and George the Victorious.

Tsar's chervonets

The Soviet chervonets is identical in its characteristics with - 10 rubles of 1897 (imperial), during the time of Nicholas II:

• uncirculated quality (AC);
• the content of pure gold is 7.742 g;
• total weight 8.603 (± 0.08) g;
• gold 900;
• diameter: 22.60 (+10 -0.15) mm;
• thickness 1.70 (+0.05 -0.15) mm

The difference between the two coins is in appearance. On the imperial coin - the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and the profile of Nicholas II with the inscription: "Nicholas II is the emperor and autocrat of all Russia", on the Soviet coin - the coat of arms of the RSFSR with the inscription: "PROLETARIANS OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!" and the figure of a peasant - a sower against the background of factories, a plow and the sun.

The author of the sketch for the Soviet chervonets was Anton Fyodorovich Vasyutinsky (1858-1935), a famous medalist artist. Remarkably, he was a famous author of both tsarist coins and medals, and Soviet ones.

The approximate price of coins of the 1923 issue is 80,000 - 130,000 rubles. They are quite rare and are of interest to numismatists.

Trial ducat

The Soviet chervonets depicts the coat of arms of the RSFSR, in 1923 the coat of arms of the USSR was approved and the idea arose to stamp the "Sower" with it. In 1924, trial coins of gold and copper were issued with the state emblem of the USSR - a hammer and sickle against the background of the globe. The date of issue of these coins is 1925, the only difference from the previously issued coins is the coat of arms.

But the coins were never issued, this is due to the fact that in 1925 the Western countries declared a gold blockade to the Soviets and did not accept Soviet chervonets for payment. Instead of "Sowers", they began to stamp imperial gold coins with Nicholas II, indicating the year of issue 1911, which were accepted for payment without hindrance.

At present, five gold coins are known from the 1925 edition of chervonets: three are kept in the Museum of Goznak, two are in the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.

Of the copper coins, only one is known, sold in April 2008 in the city of Moscow at the auction “Collectible Russian coins and medals”. Experts estimated the value of the coin at 1.8-2 million rubles, but it was sold for 5 million rubles. The starting price was 1 million rubles.

Chervonets-remake

On the eve of the 1980 Summer Olympics, which took place in Moscow, the Soviet authorities decided to resume the minting of the gold Sower. In 1975, 250,000 pieces were issued, and in the period from 1976 to 1982, the coin was issued in a circulation of 1,000,000 pieces annually. The coins were used for sale to foreign tourists as souvenirs, as well as for international payments.

The new coin is no different from the old one, only the years of issue changed. Produced both at the Moscow Mint (MMD) and at the Leningrad Mint (LMD). The price of remakes is approximately 13-15 thousand rubles.

Quality coins were also issued proof, their circulation was 100,000 pieces. Currently, the price of this coin is approximately 20,000-22,000 rubles.

Since 01.01.1999 the Sower gold coin has lost its status as the currency of the Russian Federation. On July 3, 2001, the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia established that “gold coins - chervonets (10 rubles) of 1975-1982 years of issue circulate in the territory of the Russian Federation as a legal tender”.

Nina Polonskaya

The minting of gold coins is carried out by almost all states, and here Russia is no exception. The Golden ducat coin is one of such coins, its name comes from pure gold, which used to be called high-grade gold, which has a red, red hue.

Coin history

The Golden ducat coin has a rather long and interesting fate. The first gold pieces of gold began to be minted back in tsarist Russia. In the period from Paul III to Peter I, the main image on them was either a two-headed eagle or a bust portrait. But these coins were used not for calculations, but as breastplates.

After the monetary reform carried out by Peter I, a gold ducat began to be produced, close in fineness and weight to the Hungarian ducat. This coin had 986 fineness and weighed 3.47 grams. It has already begun to be used in trade with foreigners.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, all ducats made of gold could be divided into two groups: with the image of the two-headed eagle and St. Andrew.

But the gold duct was most widespread in Soviet Russia. The beginning of Soviet rule was marked not only by monetary reforms, but also by high inflation. In this regard, in October 1922, the government decided to create a hard currency in the form of gold duct coins. The chief artist of the Mint, Vasyutinsky, Anton Fedorovich, was entrusted with developing the design of the new coin. This person deserves special attention, since he is also the author of the Order of Lenin, as well as the first TRP badge.

For the gold ducat Vasyutinsky decided to choose the image of a peasant-sower, which was made based on the sculpture of Ivan Shadr the Sower. This work is currently in the Tretyakov Gallery. The result was a coin, on one side of which a peasant-sower was depicted, and on the other - the emblem of the RSFSR. The Soviet chervonets weighed 8.6 grams, was made of 900 standard gold, which was contained in the 7.74 gram coin.

The gold duct was used mainly for trade with other states, but still, part of it was also in circulation within the country. Gradually, this coin was quite widely introduced into the country's monetary system and became a means of measuring the value of goods and other currencies. But this situation did not last long. After 1925, the gold coin began to slowly go out of circulation due to the fact that many countries were gradually abandoning the gold standard.

The gold duct received its new life only at the end of the 70s of the XX century. At that time, the resumption of its minting was considered by the Soviet Union as an option to receive income from the 1980 Olympics. As a result, more than 6 million coins were minted on the model of 1923. The weight of these gold pieces was also equal to 8.6 grams, and they contained 7.74 grams. pure gold.

Gold ducats of 900 assay value can still be found in circulation today. They are widely used as investment coins and their price is gradually increasing from year to year.

In October 1922, a decision was made to start issuing Soviet gold chervonets in the form of coins. The Soviet chervonets had such characteristics as size, weight equal to 8.6 g and alloy - 900-carat gold, which fully corresponded to the pre-revolutionary ten-ruble coin. AF Vasyutinsky, who was the Chief Medalist of the Mint, developed a drawing for the Soviet gold duct. On the obverse, called the obverse, of this coin the emblem of the RSFSR is minted. On the reverse side of the chervonets, called the reverse, a peasant sower is depicted. The image of this peasant was made according to the sculpture of Shadr. All gold coins of this period bear the date 1923.

Soviet gold chervonets, which depicted a sower, were used mainly for foreign trade. But within Russia, a small part of them were in circulation. At first, these coins were not accepted by Western countries due to the fact that Soviet symbols were imprinted on them. We found a way out quickly. They immediately began to mint gold ducats, on which the deposed Tsar Nicholas II was depicted. Such coins were accepted unconditionally abroad.

In 1924, after the formation of the USSR, the government decided to produce a new type of gold pieces. The coat of arms of the RSFSR was replaced with the coat of arms of the USSR. They released trial copies of copper, on this the issue of new coins was discontinued. At present, copper chervonets from 1925 are unique, six copies are known to date. These coins are very expensive - 8 million rubles can reach the price of one coin. Three copies of Soviet chervonets are kept in museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The other three coins are kept in private collections.

In 1925, the Soviet gold chervonets was equated to ten rubles, gradually went out of circulation and was forgotten.

Before the Moscow Summer Olympics, 80 remembered gold coins with the image of a sower. At that time, the minting of these coins was considered as one of the sources of income. For six years, from 1975 to 1981, 6 million 600 thousand gold pieces were minted. The sample of 1923 was taken as the basis for the Soviet gold chervonets, on which the coat of arms of the RSFSR was minted and new dates were put down.

New Soviet gold chervonets. with the sower depicted on them, were not legal for their circulation on the territory of the USSR. These coins could be used for sale to foreign tourists or for foreign trade transactions.

Since the mid-1990s, Soviet gold chervonets have been used as investment coins and are successfully sold by both Russian and foreign banks. Gold chervontsy have become legal tender throughout the country since 2001 by a decision that was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia.

Gold Coin Chervonets "Sower"

The Golden Duchess coin has a rich history dating back to Soviet times in 1923. In the post-revolutionary era, the economy of the Soviet state collapsed amid hyperinflation. The monetary system needed reforming and strengthening of the ruble's position. The monetary reform in 1922-1924 turned out to be a lifeline for the country. However, this was not enough for the final victory over inflation, and the government decided to introduce a new stable currency. In this vein, the Soviet gold chervonets Sower of 1923 appeared.

In terms of physical characteristics, the gold pieces were identical to the pre-revolutionary pieces of gold of Nicholas II. The content of pure gold in the coin is 7.74235 grams with a total weight of 8.6 g with a circulation of 2,751,000 pieces. The newly minted coins in their design were supposed to reflect the people who won the revolution, which led to the appearance of a simple peasant-sower on the chervonets, and on the obverse of the coin the well-known call of the proletarians for reunification.

Coin appearance

On the obverse: in the center of the coin is the coat of arms of the RSFSR in the form of a shield surrounded by a wreath of ears of corn. On the shield there is an image of a hammer and sickle against a background of sunbeams. Above, along the circumference of the coin, the famous slogan - PROLETARIES OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE !, below - R.S.F.S.R. Along the edge of the coin there is a rim of volumetric dots.

Face value: ducat;

Metal: 900 gold;

Total weight: 8.603 g;

Diameter: 22.60mm;

Thickness: 1.70mm;

Circulation: 6 565 000 pcs.

At the end of 1922, a denomination was carried out, the old money of 1922 was exchanged for banknotes of the 1923 model. The Sowers' gold ducats, together with the tsar's gold ducats and five-ruble coins, which began to be minted again from 1924 with old stamps, were preferably used for foreign payments. The new chervonets did not enter wide circulation, the exchange of paper notes for gold coins was also very limited.

The golden "Sower" soon became the yardstick for all currencies and commodities, having a very high purchasing power and being the solid core of the monetary system. But in 1925, the West arranged a kind of "golden blockade" for the USSR, within the framework of which the gold coin of 1923 was not accepted in foreign trade payments. As a result, the gold intended for the minting of chervonets went to the tsarist coins, which did not fall under the western gold pressure.

The resumption of the Sower's minting took place only in 1975 against the background of a general boom in the issue of investment coins. The first circulation after a 50-year hiatus was 250 thousand coins, and in subsequent years, 1 million pieces were minted annually. According to the characteristics of the gold coin of 1923 and subsequent issues, they are completely identical. But the first Sower coins, minted at the Petrograd Mint in 1923, are now rare and valuable coins.

Sources: crediteuropages.ru, www.mosdragmet.ru, www.ote4estvo.ru, inzoloto.ru, coins.lave.ru