Belarusian commemorative coins- among the most expensive and beautiful in the world

Since July 1, coins have been widely circulated in Belarus: kopecks and rubles. Everyday coins will appear in circulation for the first time since independence, although our country has been issuing commemorative coins for more than twenty years. Today, as part of a joint project with the National Bank - "" - we will study the most interesting, rare and amazing coins, on which “Republic of Belarus” is embossed.

The first commemorative coins were withdrawn from sale due to black spots

The National Bank website says: “On December 27, 1996, the first coins of the Republic of Belarus were issued. Their appearance is the result of the formation of a sovereign state and its emission institution.” These were 1 ruble coins dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the UN. They were minted in London, at the Royal Mint.

However, in fact, the first coins appeared a year earlier. In the summer of 1995, the Cabinet of Ministers of Belarus and the National Bank issued a resolution: “To issue coins made of gold and silver into circulation in 1995, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and outstanding events in the history of Belarus, reflecting its national and cultural-historical traditions (hereinafter - coins). The coins are issued in 50 series with denominations in each series of 1000, 500, 250, 125 and 50 rubles, 1000 coins in each denomination and are sold at collector prices.”

Fifty episodes of five denominations - a large production volume! The American mint Liberty Mint, Inc from the state of Utah undertook to mint gold coins. Denomination - 1000 rubles, diameter - 32.6 mm, weight - 31.1 grams, material - 999.9 purity gold. After some time, it turned out that dark spots appeared on the surface of the coin - as they explained, particles of either copper or platinum. For a coin of frosted proof quality, this is literally an indelible stain of shame. So the coins were hastily withdrawn from sale. But collectors managed to snap up about a hundred of them at a price of $1,200 (with the average salary in the country being 755,129 rubles, or only $66)…

The coin was stamped with: “50th year of Peramogi in Vyalikai Aichynnai Vaine”, with the usual “u” instead of “short”

And in the fall of 2009, coins of this series again appeared for sale at the cash desks of Belagroprombank. For a 50-ruble coin they asked for approximately $660, for a 125-ruble coin - $1,280, for a 250-ruble coin - $1,710, and for a 500-ruble coin - $2,275. They are still on sale now. But at the same time, coins of this series are no longer legal tender. The history of the issue of these coins was described in detail in the September 2003 issue of the Banking Bulletin magazine.

Now a thousand-ruble coin can be found at one of the Belarusian auctions for 320 million rubles, or 16 thousand dollars. For the same money you can buy yourself two new Lada cars.

The heaviest coin weighs more than a kilogram

As a rule, coins are issued in a round shape - this is how it happened historically. Sometimes they make a hole in them. Occasionally, coins are minted with the number of angles from three to fourteen.

Belarusian commemorative coins also come in different forms. For example, a coin in honor of the Struve arc has the shape of a square with rounded corners; coins of the “World of Sculpture” series and some others are rectangular, coins of the “Fairy-Tale Works of A.S. Pushkin” series are oval.

They try to make commemorative coins from precious metals- gold, silver. They are often inlaid precious stones or decorate in other ways. Let's say some fragments silver coins series “Orthodox miraculous icons” are filled with gold.

Many coins have colored elements - they are made using pad printing.

Color variety can also be achieved using enamel.

Applied to metal and holographic images.

Coins from the “Tales of the Peoples of the World” series boast inserts made of amber or artificial zircon, the “Lives of Saints of the Orthodox Church” series - Swarovski crystals and pearls, and the “Orthodox Saints” series. 2013" - cubic zirconia.

Also among the Belarusian commemorative coins there are several that are interesting for their size. Most often our round commemorative coins have a diameter of 30 to 50 mm, very often 31.8 mm. And here are the records. Several silver thousand-ruble coins have a diameter of exactly 10 cm and weigh a kilogram, the leader is a 2007 coin with the image of the cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk: 1,083.8 grams!

And here is another leader, but from the other side: the 5-ruble coin of 2013, dedicated to the Belarusian ballet, its diameter is only 11 mm. It turns out interesting: these 5 gold rubles are smaller in size and weight than the 1-kopeck Belarusian coin, which will go into circulation on July 1.

Among the world's circulating coins, the record for miniature size belongs to two round pieces: 10 Mexican centavos and 1 Dutch Antillean cent, both with a diameter of 14 mm, so our “five” will be even smaller.

These are the denominations!

As is known, circulating Belarusian coins The following denominations were issued: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 kopecks and 1 and 2 rubles. Commemorative coins add a dozen more denominations. So, in addition to the already mentioned first Belarusian gold coins, among which were 125 and 250 rubles (which, however, never became a means of payment), coins were issued in the following denominations: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 rubles. Since after denomination all commemorative coins must be accepted at face value, the largest means of payment in the country will be a thousand ruble coin. And this - at the latest exchange rate at the end of June - is almost exactly 500 dollars!

Thousand-ruble coins were issued in half a dozen different series. For example, the 2007 155 gram gold coin had a mintage of only 99 pieces. At the auction, the coin is asking for 255 million rubles (approximately $12,750), despite the fact that it contains almost 130 million rubles worth of pure gold alone. A similar gold thousand-ruble note, also from the “Belarusian Ballet” series, but already from 2013, was released in an even smaller edition - only 49 pieces.

Would you like to receive a salary in one coin?

Where does the National Bank mint coins?

In Belarus its mint No. Where then are our coins minted? It turns out that at different times we placed orders in ten countries. After an unsuccessful experience with the Liberty Mint, Inc from Provo (Utah), the Americans were no longer approached.

The first reliable contractor, as we have already noted, in 1996 was the British Royal Mint from London; then they began to cooperate with the Polish Mint (Mennica Polska, Warsaw). The Lithuanian Mint (Lietuvos monetų kalykla, Vilnius) mints both commemorative and circulation coins for us.

In Germany, orders were placed at three mints at once: B.H. Mayers Kunstpregeanstalt (now Mayer Mint GmbH, Karlsfeld/Pforzheim), the Hamburg State Mint (Hamburgische Münze) and the Staatliche Münze Berlin, Berlin. .

In Russia, our coins were minted at the St. Petersburg Goznak and its branch, the Moscow Mint. Also, coins for Belarus were stamped at the Kazakhstan Mint of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk), the Bulgarian Mint (Moneten Dvor EAD, Sofia), the Royal Mint of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt, Utrecht), the Valcambi Mint (Balerna, Switzerland) and the Finnish Mint (Suomen Rahapaja Oy, Vantaa).

Most of the orders were completed by Poles, Lithuanians, Kazakhs and Germans from Karlsfeld. But the mint in the Slovak city of Kremnica only minted everyday coins; open sources name denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 kopecks and 1 ruble.

You are the cutest in the world

Belarusian commemorative coins have repeatedly become winners and laureates of international “beauty” competitions. Back in 2005, the coin from the Belarusian Ballet series won the Coin of the Year competition. The coins “Narochansky National Park” achieved success in various categories. Mute Swan", "Easter", "Maslenitsa", "Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk", "BPS-Sberbank. 90 years old", "Belarusian railway. 150 years."

At an international competition in Vicenza, Italy, our coins took second (“A Thousand and One Nights”, “Housewarming”, “International Art Festival Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk”) and first (“Epiphany”) places. International competition“Coin Constellation” in Russia also added awards: “Peregrine Falcon”, “Legend of the Stork” and “Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk” became winners; “Maslenitsa”, “Belarusian Ballet 2007”, again “The Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk” and “The Legend of the Cuckoo” took second place in various categories; "Housewarming" won third place. Also “Zodiac Signs” and “First world war"received the Special Prize of the organizing committee, and "Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk" and "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" received the Audience Award.

Error for numismatist

In 1998, a rare but not so incredible event occurred: the National Bank issued a coin with an error. On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Adam Mickiewicz, a commemorative coin dedicated to the poet was minted. But the date of death was entered incorrectly: instead of 1855, 1854 was indicated. While the defect was removed from sale and replaced with the correct version, numismatists managed to buy 94 coins. More recently, in June, one of them surfaced at a Belarusian auction, but the 30 million rubles offered by one of the collectors did not exceed the minimum established price, and the auction did not take place. The same “Mitskevich”, but without the mistake, is sold for 1-2 million rubles.

Over the past almost 20 years, the National Bank has issued at least 324 varieties of commemorative coins in 43 series. The release plan for 2016 includes 10 more varieties. So far, the most recent coins are “2016 Biathlon World Championships. Oslo", " Olympic Games 2016. Rowing and canoeing" and "Skaryna's Path. Krakow."

The opinion that the older a banknote or coin is, the more valuable it is, is erroneous. First of all, the value depends on the circulation. The less produced, the more expensive. It is possible that by checking your home collection, or looking through small items brought from a business trip, you can get rich!

BELARUSIAN MONEY

There are not many rare banknotes among modern Belarusian money. Banknotes of certain series are valued:

The fact is that there are collectors who collect identical banknotes of all series,” Vsevolod Yurgenson, a member of the Belarusian Numismatic Society, a specialist at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, explained to Komsomolskaya Pravda. - And they are willing to pay a lot for a banknote of the missing series more than face value banknotes. Defective banknotes are no less valuable.

SOVIET MONEY

Soviet rubles are kept, perhaps, in every home collection. As a rule, this is money from 1961 or 1991. Small bills are of no interest to collectors, but large ones are another matter - 200, 500 or 1000 rubles. There are few of them, because not many workers dared to refuse to exchange them for new money. Today they can fetch $25-80 for such bills.

RUSSIAN MONEY

Among the coins that are currently in circulation, those minted at the St. Petersburg Mint are valuable - they came out in a limited edition. It is easy to identify such a coin: on the ruble, kopeck piece and five piece issued in 2003, under the eagle’s right paw there should be a logo with the letters “SpmD”. Collectors give $200-300 for such coins.

UKRAINIAN MONEY

We will not consider anniversary coins made of gold or silver - they are stored in transparent boxes of their owners, and it is unrealistic to see them in circulation. However, among the coins that are currently in circulation, there may be quite valuable ones. As in other countries, coins with defects are also valued: for example, when the same thing is minted on both sides, or reverse side tilted or upside down.

COUNCIL "KP"

What to do if you do find valuable change? Look at the information on various numismatic sites (see useful links), look through the catalogs. In general, ask the price. This will help you understand whether they can really give you real money for your find.

Take the coin to the expert. But under no circumstances sell it to resellers. They, as a rule, are looking for such simpletons to buy up rarities for next to nothing. Remember that depending on the place of sale, the price difference may differ by 2-3 times (for example, an antique store and a specialized Internet forum). In addition, the price greatly depends on the condition of the coin or banknote. Banknotes in “press” condition are most valued - this is a banknote that has never passed through hands, which has just been taken out of a bank stack. The best way to get a market price for your find - put it up for online auction on one of the numismatic sites.

www.coins.su www.numismat.ru www.numizmatik.ru

STAY IN THE KNOW

What is the most expensive banknote and coin in the world?

Especially prized among professional collectors banknotes, released in the distant past and possessing uniqueness. Some of these bills are considered priceless treasures. Thus, the most expensive bill ever sold at auction is the US $1,000 bill. In December 2006, it was sold by an anonymous seller at The Grand Watermelon auction in Texas for $2.2 million. The buyer is a private collector who, like all his colleagues, decided to leave his name undisclosed. For many, it will seem strange to pay more than two million for a thousand-dollar piece of paper with zeros in the form of striped watermelons, but this is a rarity. Today, only two copies of such banknotes are known.

The new ones, which we will be able to touch next week, are for some Belarusians not just a means of payment, but a long-awaited exhibit for their personal collection. Numismatists especially rub their hands, anticipating the possession of real small change coins of our country instead of “souvenirs”. As part of a joint project with the National Bank - "" - we tried to find out whether there is a numismatic market in Belarus and why collectors line up for some coins, while they don’t need others for nothing.

For the sake of profit or prestige: why does the National Bank issue commemorative coins?

Of course, numismatists have had something to profit from in Belarus before. , which are also legal tender in our country, have been issued by the National Bank since 1996. And many specimens have been and continue to be hunted by collectors from different countries.

Belarusian coins regularly win various numismatic competitions. Professionals from all over the world recognize that our metal money is one of the most beautiful. But it's not just about beauty. According to the press secretary of the National Bank Alexandra Timoshenko, coins have always been a symbol of the state: “ And they contain important information about our country. Therefore, this is one of the ways to present Belarus, its history and culture to other states».

Taking this into account, a plan for issuing coins for each year is drawn up. Such a plan is approved by a resolution of the National Bank board. There is a whole council that preliminarily discusses the topics of future issues. At the same time, for each coin a detailed justification is created why it is worth minting.

One of the important purposes of coinage is to satisfy the demand of collectors and ordinary people. " For example, the series “Zodiac Signs” is obviously not associated with any significant event, says Alexander Timoshenko. — But from the very beginning it was clear that it would be in demand among the population - as gifts. And not only in Belarus, but also abroad".

So for the National Bank, issuing commemorative coins is also a profitable activity. But the income from this, as experts say, is not exorbitant. " We sell a coin at one price, and then it comes to the market and sometimes becomes more expensive. But the mission of the National Bank is not to make money on the secondary market“reminds the press secretary.

“We lack our own numismatic market”

But for real collectors, a commemorative coin differs from an everyday one in the same way as for a hunter the taste of a domestic duck differs from a game one. After all, numismatics is a science that studies monuments of monetary circulation, and “souvenirs” usually gather dust on shelves, never having fulfilled their ancient purpose.

And although we have been producing “metal” for 20 years in large quantities - more than 320 coins with circulations ranging from several tens to several thousand pieces - our own numismatic market has not yet formed. " One of the main reasons is collecting as an idea, as a hobby loses its appeal, explains a member of the board of the Belarusian Numismatic Society Ilya Shtalenkov. — Firstly, people are becoming more pragmatic. Secondly, good numismatic items for a collection are increasing in price every year.”.

In addition, many valuable artifacts from our territory were removed or destroyed during wars. Therefore, our collectors big problem with replenishment of material.

So instead of a market, we only have organized collectors who lack auction houses, numismatic stores, specialized literature, and accessories for collections. " But fortunately, all this is in Russia, where you can go to an auction or to a store. Within Belarus one has to be content only with collectors' clubs“, complains Ilya Shtalenkov.

By the way, the numismatic movement itself miraculously survived in the post-Soviet space. For example, during Soviet times, collecting money was considered illegal. And only after a special resolution of the CPSU Central Committee it became possible to create an association with a focus on numismatics. And before that, everyone was “hiding” in philatelist societies (postage stamp collectors).

In Belarus, the first organization of collectors was created in 1980. This is the current Belarusian Republican Public Association of Collectors. Not only numismatists gathered there. IN better times it had about 1.5 thousand members. Now it’s a little over 800.

And the Belarusian Numismatic Society, which received the status of a republican public association, appeared in the late 1990s. There are generally a little over a hundred members. That is, the community is quite narrow, but very experienced and prepared.

True, there is one more problem standing in the way of the development of numismatics in our country: collecting money is very expensive. When a person begins to understand what is valuable in coins and what is not, he realizes: one coin can be worth more than his entire collection.

« Sometimes I had to sacrifice some benefits to replenish my collection, - the numismatist admits. — Of course, I always tried to do this without harming the family. However, not everyone shows restraint, and there are many examples where collectors spent all their money on coins and the family suffered from their hobby. As a rule, then no one was involved in collecting anymore, and what they collected was sold».

Ilya Shtalenkov calls collecting a kind of addiction: “ Every numismatist has the first coin, but not the last. However, a person would rather spend time studying the history of his country from coins than drinking and partying. My hobby harmoniously combines with family life. The designer daughter is even writing her master's thesis on paper money.».

More often people start collecting in our country if they got some old coins in childhood. Then they switch to commemorative coins of the National Bank. " Although most of their issues can only be called coin-shaped souvenirs. Because the coin must still be in circulation. Then this is a full-fledged numismatic object“says the collector, whose hobby began when he read a book about coins at the age of 6.

Therefore, numismatists are already interested in new Belarusian coins. And each of them will put aside a set that has not yet been worn out. " They won't be rare, of course. But over time, these coins may also gain some value.“, says Ilya Shtalenkov.

The most expensive Belarusian coin contains half a kilo of gold

And the value of coins is a separate conversation. One of the most important factors in the high cost of an artifact is the circulation. For example, there are a lot of National Bank coins and hardly anyone collects them all. " The National Bank, although late, realized that it was necessary to make small circulations so that coins would be of interest to collectors, - says the numismatist. — Rare coins can be sold for more than what you originally bought. And with large circulations, it’s good if you sell it at the cost of the metal».

So collectors are chasing those coins that were minted in a small edition, when the stamp was destroyed and no more similar ones will be issued. Some Belarusian coins are also hunted this way. " Especially those who are just starting to collect. This applies to the first issues, since they are now difficult to find. There are several very rare coins. For example, in the date of death of Adam Mickiewicz“, shares Ilya Shtalenkov.

But it is difficult to name the specific value of each coin. Their prices are determined solely by supply and demand. We can’t even imagine how much they can give for rare coin until it is put up for sale.

World coins, especially old ones, are, of course, much more expensive than ours. " And the most expensive Belarusian coin, in my opinion, is the commemorative coin “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker”, says the collector. — If I'm not mistaken, it is only in the collection of the National Bank. It contains half a kilogram of gold. The remaining copies were bought by foreign numismatists. In Belarus, no one simply has the money for such a coin. Now it is impossible to determine its exact cost.” But only the gold in this coin will be worth 20 thousand dollars.

How do foreigners buy our coins?

In general, creating coins is a real art. Designers and artists have to take into account many nuances, because the drawing must not only be good, but also look good in different types metal The work of our designers is highly valued by foreign numismatists. But it is not so easy for foreigners to purchase the coins they like for the same reason that Belarusians have to travel to Russia - there are no auctions.

Therefore, lovers of Belarusian coins have two options. So, they can purchase it or pre-order it from the Mint that minted the circulation. " Mints, by agreement with the National Bank, sometimes sell part of the circulation of some coins“says the press secretary of the National Bank, Alexander Timoshenko.

But if a foreigner is interested in a coin that the yard does not sell, he will have to go to our country to buy it. For such cases, there are even special rules for the export of commemorative coins and commemorative banknotes of the National Bank. But there are no special restrictions - except that very expensive copies will need to be declared.

In Germany, orders were placed at three mints at once: B.H. Mayers Kunstpregeanstalt (now Mayer Mint GmbH, Karlsfeld/Pforzheim), Hamburg State Mint (Hamburgische Münze) and Staatliche Münze Berlin, Berlin. .

In Russia, our coins were minted at the St. Petersburg Goznak and its branch, the Moscow Mint. Also, coins for Belarus were stamped at the Kazakhstan Mint of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk), the Bulgarian Mint (Moneten Dvor EAD, Sofia), the Royal Mint of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt, Utrecht), the Valcambi Mint (Balerna, Switzerland) and the Finnish Mint (Suomen Rahapaja Oy, Vantaa).

Most of the orders were completed by Poles, Lithuanians, Kazakhs and Germans from Karlsfeld. But the mint in the Slovak city of Kremnica minted only everyday coins; open sources name denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 kopecks and 1 ruble.

You are the cutest in the world

Belarusian commemorative coins have repeatedly become winners and laureates of international “beauty” competitions. Back in 2005, the coin from the Belarusian Ballet series won the Coin of the Year competition. The coins “Narochansky National Park” achieved success in various categories. Mute Swan", "Easter", "Maslenitsa", "Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk", "BPS-Sberbank. 90 years”, “Belarusian Railway. 150 years."

At an international competition in Vicenza, Italy, our coins took second (“A Thousand and One Nights”, “Housewarming”, “International Art Festival Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk”) and first (“Epiphany”) places. The international competition “Coin Constellation” in Russia also added awards: “Peregrine Falcon”, “Legend of the Stork” and “Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk” became winners; “Maslenitsa”, “Belarusian Ballet 2007”, again “The Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk” and “The Legend of the Cuckoo” took second place in various categories; "Housewarming" won third place. Also, “Signs of the Zodiac” and “The First World War” received the Special Prize of the organizing committee, and “Cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk” and “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” received the Audience Award.

Error for numismatist

In 1998, a rare but not so incredible event occurred: the National Bank issued a coin with an error. On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Adam Mickiewicz, a commemorative coin dedicated to the poet was minted. But the date of death was entered incorrectly: instead of 1855, 1854 was indicated. While the defect was removed from sale and replaced with the correct version, numismatists managed to buy 94 coins. More recently, in June, one of them surfaced at a Belarusian auction, but the 30 million rubles offered by one of the collectors did not exceed the minimum established price, and the auction did not take place. The same “Mitskevich”, but without the mistake, is sold for 1-2 million rubles.

Over the past almost 20 years, the National Bank has issued at least 324 varieties of commemorative coins in 43 series. The release plan for 2016 includes 10 more varieties. So far, the most recent coins are “2016 Biathlon World Championships. Oslo", "Olympic Games 2016. Rowing and canoeing" and "Skaryna's Path. Krakow."

The Numismatic website sells Belarusian commemorative coins

We are pleased to welcome you to the pages of the official Numismat website! Here is a catalog of commemorative coins of Belarus, which is regularly updated with new numismatic products. Here you will find inexpensive copper-nickel coins and silver memorabilia. In other words, Belarus coins are collectibles that every numismatist can afford!

Coin Review

The first commemorative coins appeared in the Republic of Belarus at the end of 1996. As a rule, coins are issued in series, for example, “Sport”, “Belarus and the World Community”, “Environmental Protection”, but there are also single issues. Recently, any commemorative item has been made in two versions: in a copper-nickel alloy and in silver. The denomination of the first coin is , and the second is .

It is interesting that Belarus does not have its own mint, so it cooperates with other countries, for example, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Germany, and Poland. The design for commemorative items is often developed by Belarusian artists.