Interesting facts about mints. Amazing facts about rubles

The history of coins goes back thousands of years. Coins were primarily used as banknotes, later they began to be collected. But sometimes people find coins completely unusual applications, it is in this direction that we will present several interesting facts.

1. Coins are used as weights in the Dominican Republic. And now on a 10 cent coin its weight is 2.5 grams.

2. In 1959, Canada tried to use coins for length measurements. They were issued with a diameter of 1 inch, while a hundred cents was exactly one foot. But this idea was quickly abandoned due to the fact that the coins turned out to be too bulky.

3. Every Soviet child knew from school interesting fact that specially for the wedding of Krupskaya and Lenin during exile in Shushenskoye one of the exiles was made wedding rings from copper coins.

4. Every British military pilot who flew over Kosovo was given gold coins. Attached to them was a note with a proposal not to kill the downed pilot, but to take these gold coins for his life.

5. Suvorov often exchanged his salary for silver coins and awarded them to distinguished soldiers. And the soldiers considered it a great honor to wear such a “reward” coin on their chest like a medal, having made a hole in it

6. Coins were often used to create monuments. For example, naval officers collected nickels for the monument to Admiral Makarov, which were then melted down. Children all over the world collected coins, from which peace bells were cast and installed in different cities.

7. Coins– were the best indicator of the country’s well-being and the reliability of its rulers. This is precisely the role that coins played in the case of the “History of the Byzantine Empire”. Merchants from Persia and Byzantium attended an audience with the ruler of Ceylon. When asked whose ruler was stronger and richer, the Persian praised his king for a long time. The Byzantine remained silent.

When the merchants were asked to show the coins, the local ruler immediately received an answer to his question: the Persian had a silver, small coin, and the Byzantine had a gold, large, clear, high-quality coin. There were also special coins, which were tokens for the right to visit the brothel-lupanaria, and judging by the image, an advertisement for its services. This advertising text was minted on coins in 1987 in Belgium.

8. The judge uses coin like drawing lots when choosing goals for teams before a football match.

9. The Germans use a coin as a control tool when assessing the quality of beer. They put one pfennig on the foam in a beer mug; the coin does not sink in the “correct” beer.

10. Coins are used to regulate the course of the most famous clock - London's Big Ben. The head keeper places or removes a one penny coin on the pendulum, which changes the clock by exactly one second

Judging by the mentions in chronicles, the ruble appeared at the end of the 13th century. But then it was not a coin, but a silver bar, reaching up to 20 cm in length and weighing about 200 grams.

The word “ruble” is a relative of the word “chopping.” And it is no coincidence: the silver two-hundred-gram piece was actually cut off from a more massive ingot - the hryvnia.

The equivalent of almost any monetary unit is considered to be 100 coins. This tradition first arose in Russia back in the 16th century. The reform carried out by Elena Glinskaya equated the ruble to ten kopecks, and the kopeck to ten kopecks. But for quite a long time the ruble existed only “virtually”, as a unit of account. It was first minted under Alexei Mikhailovich, and mass production of rubles from pure silver was established only under the “Tsar Carpenter” Peter the Great, in 1704. At that time, the content of valuable metal in coins reached almost one hundred percent. But by the second half of the century, the ruble consisted of only 2/3 silver.

It remained silver until the end of the 19th century. And in 1897, according to the “Gold Standard”, it began to be produced in gold. The royal gold ruble was a very valuable monetary unit. For five to ten of these coins one could buy a good cow - milking and capable of bearing offspring.

Issuing “iron” rubles is a very unprofitable business. The cost of producing each far exceeds its face value.

Today, when we pronounce the word “chervonets,” we mean a monetary unit worth 10 rubles. But in the 19th century, the equivalent of a chervonets was three rubles. Its price increased in 1923, when the USSR issued a gold Soviet chervonets with the image of a sower.

Finance Minister Witte did not like the word “ruble” at all. At the end of the 19th century, he proposed replacing it with a more homespun one - “Rus” and even “Rus”. But his opinion was not listened to.

In 1915 in Russia, many players gambling got caught in a scam with the so-called “Brutist ruble”. This paper bill was named after the cashier Brutus, who allegedly signed the money and then, in a state of insanity, committed suicide. There was a rumor among the players that a real Brutian ruble supposedly brings good luck, if you just bet on it. Naturally, everyone rushed to search for the ill-fated ruble, and scammers skillfully profited from human greed, offering “the one” for fabulous money.

The modern Russian ruble appeared in 1993. At the same time, due to the depreciation of money, all Russian citizens became millionaires: they paid in thousands and received salaries in millions. With the onset of 1998, a thousand became equal to 1 ruble. Since then it has not undergone any further changes.

Our contemporaries contemptuously call the ruble “wooden”. But in 1961 its value was equal to almost a gram of gold. In its golden years, both literally and figuratively, it was a more valuable monetary unit than the dollar. And for the first time he sharply lost ground in 1991.

It is immortalized not only in history, but also in monumental buildings. Monuments to this monetary unit, installed in Dimitrovgrad and Tomsk, are considered local landmarks. But the Estonians, breaking with the Soviet past, literally buried him by erecting a tombstone for him.

An important and integral tool of modern society is money. Commodity-market relations began to actively develop with the advent of coins. There are many amazing facts about them related to their creation and history.

At first they were used only as banknotes, but then people began to collect them as well.

What is the ribbed edging for?

In the distant past the price metal money corresponded to their weight. Counterfeiters came up with the idea of ​​cutting money off the edges and using it to make counterfeits. To eliminate fraud, it was decided to make the edges not simple, but ribbed. The legendary physicist Isaac Newton came up with the idea of ​​applying small notches. Products without them were no longer accepted as payment.

It was issued in Sweden in the eighteenth century in order to reduce the number of thefts. Its shape is rectangular and its weight is 19 kg 710 g. With such a heavy burden it is not easy to hide from law enforcement officers. As distinctive feature It can be noted that there are imprints of the royal seal on the corners.

The oldest coin

Archaeologists discovered it in the region of Lydia (in the territory of modern Palestine) and called it a stater. It is made of electrum - an alloy of gold and silver. There is a clearly visible stamp on it indicating the cost and weight. The obverse features the head of a roaring lion in a square. The specimen is 3200 years old.

The most beautiful coin

It was released in Mexico in 2005 in silver. The technical execution was very difficult. It features an image of the Mexican coat of arms and the Aztec calendar.

From seal skin

In nineteenth-century Alaska, people paid for purchases with money made from sealskin. The production was carried out by the Russian-American company. Now their price is literally worth their weight in gold.

This is small silver money that was issued in Italy in the sixteenth century. It came into use even before newspapers with news began to be published. The reverse initially featured an image of Christ, which was later replaced by a heraldic lion. When book printing began to develop, news sheets appeared. The cost of one of them was exactly equal to one newspaper. That is why they received their common name today - newspapers.

Talking coin

It was issued in Mongolia in 2007 with a denomination of 500 tugriks. It features a photograph of American President John F. Kennedy and a button that, when pressed, plays his famous “I am a Berliner” speech. The entire lot was quickly snapped up by collectors.

With the image of a woman

Only once did a woman appear on a metal currency unit. This is a silver dollar with the image of Martha Washington.

Bullet coins

Similar unusual money was in use in Thailand at the beginning of the 18th century. They are made of silver and look like small, uneven balls. Each copy was necessarily marked with the name of the king and his dynasty. Their diameter is 14 mm and their weight is 15 grams.

"Flying Dutchmen"

There are several ghost coins that are still in use today. Although they exist, only a few have seen them. The cost of such copies ranges from one hundred to two hundred thousand rubles.

• 1 ruble 2001 MMD;
• 2 rubles 2001 MMD;
• 5 rubles 1999 SPMD.

In the twentieth century, America appeared rarest coins of gold in the face value of twenty dollars. Their existence did not last long, after which all the gold money was melted down. But when the calculations were made, it turned out that ten copies were missing. The intelligence services found nine pieces, but the last one was found only half a century later. Now it belongs to a private person, but at the same time it is the property of the state. The price of the double eagle is $8 million.

They were amazingly beautiful and varied. Their value lies not in the amount of precious materials used, but in the volume of circulation. The less money was issued, the higher its value in our time. Collecting coins of Tsarist Russia allows you not only to study amazing facts about the culture and history of the country, but also to make profitable investments.

The appearance of the “penny”

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the first “kopeck” appeared. It depicted the ruler himself holding a spear. It is for this reason that the coins received such an unusual name - “spear” money.

Imperial

This is the heaviest metal monetary unit minted under the leadership of Catherine II. Its weight is 11.61 g, and its face value is ten rubles.

Polushka

Another one of hers historical name– half denga. The quarter penny coin appeared at the end of the fourteenth century and weighed only 0.17 g. It was first minted from silver, and later began to be made from copper.

Other rare specimens

There are quite a lot of them, here are just a few of them:

1. "Polish Thaler". The reverse features an image of a double-headed eagle. On the obverse there is an image of the ruler Peter Alekseevich. Its cost starts from five thousand dollars.
2. 1 ruble 1730. On one side there is a double-headed eagle with three imperial crowns, on the other there is an image of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The coin was called “Anna with a Chain”. One of them is in the American Museum in Washington, the second in the Hermitage, and the third in the possession of a private collector.
3. 1 kopeck, 1726 issue. It is made of copper and has a square shape. It was released during the reign of Catherine the First.
4. 20 rub. 1755. On the reverse there is a composition of four coats of arms, and on the obverse there is a portrait of the ruler.
5. Konstantinovsky ruble. Six units were produced during the reign of the Romanovs. What makes them especially valuable is the fact that they are engraved with a non-existent ruler.
6. 12 rub. 1836. They were minted from platinum during the reign of Nicholas I. A total of 11 copies were produced. Subsequently, production was resumed in the second half of the nineteenth century for private collections by imperial decree.
7. 25 rub. 1908. The coin was dedicated to the fortieth anniversary of Nicholas II.

Coins of modern Russia

Just one subtle nuance immediately turns an ordinary monetary unit into an expensive one.

1. 1 and 2 rubles. 2001 Money was issued, but did not come into use.
2. 2 rub. 1999 Metal coins with irregular branches.
3. 5 rub. 2003 A small edition was released.

The Central Bank of Russia annually issues monetary copies made of pure gold with a face value of 10 thousand rubles and weighing one kilogram.

Unusual uses

People use coins not only as a means of payment, but also for other purposes. Here are some of them:

1. The Germans use them to determine the quality of beer. The money is placed on the foam and the subsequent result is evaluated. If it doesn’t sink to the bottom of the glass, then the drink is really good.
2. To create monuments. For example, in different countries Bells were cast from coins collected by children around the world.
3. For measuring length. This method of using metal currency units was in use in Canada in 1959.
4. Regulation of famous clocks in England. The keeper of Big Ben in England places or removes one penny on the pendulum, which changes the clock by 1 second.

There are many more interesting coins, larger number of which have an amazing history. Therefore, it is not surprising that collecting them is one of the popular hobbies.

Money constantly appears in our world. In any country, in any currency and in any form, be it paper or metal money, but only thanks to them we can acquire something.

We want to introduce you closer to one of the options for money, coins. And so some interesting facts about coins.

The information will be interesting as experienced numismatists, as well as to novice treasure hunters who picked up a metal detector for the first time and went digging in the field.

1 In the history of Athens, there was a coin for which more than 300 thousand dollars were paid at auction.

2 V Ancient China, even before our era, coins were cast in various shapes, not only round ones as we are used to seeing. This is how coins were created in the form of knives, bells, keys, etc.

3 There was also a miniature coin, which weighed only 0.17 grams. This existed in Rus' and was equal to only 1/4 kopeck.

4 The Mexican coin, which is decorated with the national emblem of Mexico and the Aztec calendar, won the fight for “beauty.”

5 In 2011, the world was able to see a coin that weighed more than a ton, and was made of more than 99% gold. Such a huge amount was poured out in Australia, in the city of Perth. It is equivalent to 1 million Austrian dollars, and its price itself is more than 54 million American dollars.

6 Did you know that coins can act not only as money, but also “judge” the quality of alcohol? In Germany, people taste beer this way. They put a coin on the foam and if it doesn’t go to the bottom of the glass, it means the beer is of excellent quality.

7 In 1740, there was a coin in Nepal whose weight was 0.002 grams. They made it from other coins, larger ones.

8 Did you know that the word “kopek” exists thanks to Ivan the Terrible? The silver money depicted a prince with a spear, and Ivan the Terrible created a decree, from which it followed that such coins should be called “kopek”.

9 Coins also serve as a talisman for many peoples. So, for example, Americans leave a dollar on their first paycheck for good luck, Germans make holes in coins and wear them around their necks in the form of a pendant, and Russians throw a coin or two into the sea in order to return to their favorite place.

10 Modern coins are created not only in order to be able to pay for purchases, but also so that it is a rarity and an expensive product, thanks to which it is possible to create auctions and all kinds of “banknote” events. Take a look at your mezzanine, perhaps there you will find something that costs more than a million. Not rubles, of course.

They were of an unusual shape, as they were cast in the shape of household items. They existed in the form of hoes, knives, and bells.

2. The most expensive coin
The most expensive coin in the world is the silver dekadrachm, originally from ancient Athens. At the Zurich auction it was sold for 314 thousand dollars.

3. The most unusual material for money
At the beginning of the 19th century in Alaska, they were made from leather. printed on seal skin and were in use until 1826. were issued in the amount of 10 thousand pieces for a total amount of 42 thousand rubles. Nowadays, such a leather coin is equivalent to the amount of gold it weighs.

4. The strangest coin name
Do you know where the word newspaper came from? At the beginning of the 16th century, a coin called “gazette” appeared in Venice. The coin was put into circulation. The newspapers themselves, or “Written News” as they were called, appeared only in 1556. Such a printed publication cost 1 newspaper. Since then, news publications began to be called newspapers.

5. Smallest coin denomination
The smallest coin was the polushka, or half money. This is a Russian coin whose face value was ¼ kopeck. This coin weighed only 0.17 grams.

6. The most beautiful coin
Most a beautiful coin A Mexican silver coin was recognized, which depicts the Mexican coat of arms and the Aztec calendar.

7. The most expensive modern coin
Recognized as the most expensive coin gold coin, which was minted in Canada. It was made of 999.99 fine gold, the weight of the coin was 100 kg, and the face value of the coin was 1 million dollars.

8. The heaviest coin of the past
The heaviest coins appeared in the 18th century in Sweden. The coins were rectangular in shape and their value was 10 dalers. One coin weighed 19 kilograms 710 grams, in the corners of this coin there were impressions of the royal seal.

Swedish officials hoped to get rid of money theft in this way. According to the authorities, the weight of the coin was supposed to discourage theft, because such a coin was difficult to carry. After this coin came into circulation, money thefts almost stopped.

Nowadays, you can also make up for the lack of money by stealing, but it is much better, safer and more correct to solve unexpected financial difficulties by borrowing from any modern bank to make up for the shortfall in the family budget. The key word here is “online”, that is, you can apply for a loan directly from home via the Internet. This is the progress of the financial system. And besides, you don’t need to drag anything heavy anywhere

9. The rarest double coin
In the thirties of the twentieth century, a rare investment gold coin, the double eagle, was minted in the United States. The denomination of the coin was $20. When the era of gold monometallism ended, all the coins were melted down, but ten copies of the coins were stolen. American intelligence services found nine coins, and the last, tenth, was discovered only fifty years later in a private collection. Litigation with the collector lasted five years; as a result, the coin remained in private hands, but is still the property of the state. The auction value of this coin is $8 million.

10. Largest coin denomination
The largest denomination coin was minted in India in 1654. It was made of gold and had a diameter of 136 millimeters. The denomination of this coin was 200 mohurs. The weight of the coin was 2 kg 177 g. The only copy of this coin disappeared in 1810 in India, in the state of Bihar. The surviving print of this coin is kept in London, in the British Museum.

11. The largest Russian coin
The largest Russian coin was a square copper ruble, which was issued in 1725, by decree of Catherine I. The size of this coin reached 18x18 cm and was 5 millimeters thick. The weight of this coin was 1 kg 636 g.

12. The largest Russian coins
The largest modern coin you can call a silver coin that was released in 1999, this coin weighs 3000 grams.
The largest gold coin is a five-kilogram coin with a denomination of 50 thousand rubles. Only 50 of these coins were produced. For numismatists, the price of such a coin is several times higher than its face value.

13. The heaviest gold coin
By order of Catherine II, a gold coin with a face value of 10 rubles was minted. This coin weighed 11.61 grams and was called an imperial coin.
The heaviest coin issued in modern China. This coin weighs 5 kg.

14. One Ton Coin
Incredible but true - there is a coin in the world that weighs more than one ton; the exact weight of the coin is 1012 kilograms. This is the heaviest penny of our time. It was minted in Australia, in the city of Perth in 2011. The face value of the coin is 1 million Australian dollars. This coin costs about 54 million US dollars and is made of 99.99% gold. The thickness of the coin is 12 centimeters, and its diameter is 80 centimeters.

15. Soviet gold coin
Gold chervonets began to be minted in Russia in 1923, and the minting of gold chervonets continued until the 80s. This chervonets was the only coin that was hard currency in Soviet history.

16. Lucky coins
From time immemorial, coins were not only a means of payment, but also participated in magical rituals. In Russia lucky coin a nickel was considered. Americans kept the first dollar they earned for luck. And the Germans drill holes in coins and wear them around their necks.

17. The most unnecessary money
In Russia, after the death of Alexander I, in 1825, a coin was minted that depicted Constantine, Alexander's eldest son. After Constantine abdicated the throne and Nicholas ascended the throne, the entire circulation of coins was sent for melting down.

18. Most light coin
The lightest coin was issued in Nepal in 1740. The weight of this coin was only 0.002 grams. This coin is called ¼ jawa. This coin was not minted, but cut from a larger denomination coin.

19. Where did the name kopek come from?
By order of Ivan the Terrible, silver coins were minted, on which the prince was depicted with a spear in his hand. Ivan the Terrible ordered these coins to be called “spear money.” From then on the name “kopek” came about.

20. Unusual uses of coins
In the Dominican Republic, coins are used as weights. A 10 cent coin weighs 2.5 grams.
Football referees use coins as a toss before the start of a match.
In Canada, in 1959, there were attempts to use coins to measure length.
Coins are often used to create monuments.
The Germans use coins to evaluate the quality of beer. They place a coin on the beer foam. If the beer is of excellent quality, then the coin will not sink.