History of Russian gold coins. History of money part 1. money of ancient Rus'

Ancient Rus' largely copied the achievements Byzantine Empire, money was no exception.
At the end of the 10th century, under Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the first coins in Rus' - silver coins - began to be minted. They corresponded in size and weight to the Byzantine ones, the same production technologies were used, but the inscriptions were Russian, and a princely sign was also added. Currently, only about 400 such coins are known; they are considered rarities and almost all are kept in museums.

Around the same time, gold coins appeared, copying Byzantine gold solidi. The images on the pieces of silver and gold coins are very similar. Under the following rulers, only silver pieces were minted, the latter dating back to the time of Yaroslav the Wise. Subsequently, for unknown reasons, the minting of its own coins ceased for three centuries.

Rus' did not always have its own coins, and this is well known. Payments were made for both services and goods. For a long time furs served as the equivalent. The imperial denarius (Rome), the eastern dirham, and even the solidus of Byzantium were in use. But the era own money came steadily. So....

Serebryaniki

The first coin minted in Rus' was called a silver coin. It appeared back in the time of Prince. Vladimir, before Epiphany. The shortage of small change began to be felt especially acutely; there were not enough dirhams. The material was silver from the melting of the latter.

Silver coins were minted in two types of designs. At first it was a copy of the idea of ​​the solidi of Byzantium: on the one hand - the throne prince. Vladimir, on the other hand - Jesus. Later the design changed. The face of the Messiah has disappeared. Its place was taken by the trident, the family coat of arms of Rurik. The portrait of the prince was surrounded by the inscription: “Prince Volodymyr is on the throne, and this is his money.”

Zolotniki (Zlatniki)

Zlatnik (980-1015)

Zlatniks were in circulation, as were silver coins. Their coinage was also launched by Prince. Vladimir. Only the coins were poured, as the name suggests, in gold. The prototype of the goldsmith was the Byzantine solidus. The weight was quite impressive - 4 g.

It was a rather rare and expensive coin with a very limited circulation. However, popular rumor keeps its name in folklore to this day. Modern numismatists can present to the public no more than a dozen zlatniks. That is why their price is very high, both on the official and on the black market.

Hryvnia

It was the hryvnia that became truly independent and official monetary unit Rus'. It arose in the 9th-10th centuries. It was a weighty gold or silver ingot. But it was, rather, a standard of mass rather than a monetary unit. The weight of precious metals was measured using the hryvnia.

Kyiv hryvnias had a mass of 160 g and a 6-gonal honeycomb shape. The money of Novgorod was a long block weighing 200 g. However, the name is due to the difference appearance did not undergo any changes. The Tatars also used the hryvnia, which circulated in the Volga region. It was called “Tatar” and had the shape of a boat.

The name of the money comes from a completely unrelated object - a women's neck hoop, made by jewelers in gold. The decoration was worn on the mane. Hence - “hryvnia”.

Vekshi

A perfect analogue of the current penny, the ancient Russian veksha! Its other names are squirrel, veritsa. There is an interesting explanation for the first version. It says that when the small silver coin was in circulation, its “natural” counterpart was tanned squirrel skin.

The chronicles mention that the ancient tribute from some tribes was “one squirrel or coin from a single house.” By the way, one hryvnia was equivalent to 150 veks.

Coons

Conversion of the eastern dihrem - historical fact. The denarius was no less popular. The Russians called both of them “coons.” Why?

There are two explanations. First: the equivalent of both coins was tanned and branded marten skins. By the way, very valuable, even at that time. Second: the English word “coin” (sounds: “coin”), translated as “coin”.

Rezany

Rezans were called “monetary units” designed to carry out calculations as accurately as possible. For example, marten skins were divided into flaps in order to adjust them to a certain price of the product. It was these flaps that were called “cuts” (emphasis on the second “a”).
And since the fur skin and the Arab dirham were equivalent, the coin was also divided into parts. To this day, halves and even quarters of dirhams are found in ancient Russian treasures, because the Arab coin was too large for small trade transactions.

Today, archaeologists often find halves and quarters of these coins in ancient treasures. Arab money had a fairly large denomination to operate with it in its entirety in small transactions.

Nogaty

Nogata, small change coin, 1/20 hryvnia. Its name, as philologists and historians suggest, comes from the Estonian “nahat” (“fur”). It is possible that nogata were initially “attached” to furs.

With all the variety of coins in Rus', it is quite remarkable that any trade item was “tied” to its own money. “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” bears evidence of this in its text. It says that if Vsevolod were on the throne, a slave would be valued at a price, and a slave would be sold at a cut.

Money of Ancient Rus': dirhams, kunas, nogat, hryvnia

Money in ancient Russia were generally called "coons". This word clearly indicates that once upon a time furs, and especially martens, served as the usual measure of value. Initially, valuable furs were, of course, used for exchange; but the trade need for smaller and exchangeable units forced the resort to crushing fur; from here came the so-called. “rezani” (i.e. segments) and “nogaty” (paws). IN later time We also encounter “polushki” and “muzzles”, which in the same way became the name of metal units. From such parts of fur the transition to leather money was not far, i.e. flaps of leather with princely marks. In the middle of the 13th century, the French monk Rubrukvis noticed that the Russians used small pieces of leather with colored marks instead of coins. But such money, even if it existed, did not have widespread circulation in Rus'. Only specie could have such circulation. The latter was obtained, like any commodity, by trade with foreigners. Especially a large number of it was delivered from the east from Muslim countries. (However, perhaps these Arab silver money served more for neck and head decorations than for the needs of trade.) The “hryvnia” served as a metal monetary unit throughout Rus'. Judging by the name, some rightly guess that this unit originated precisely from a metal neck hoop, which had a more or less certain weight; so the hryvnia began to denote both weight and coin, i.e. ingot of the same weight. Not only the shape of this ingot, but also its value and weight, and therefore its value, varied across different regions of Rus'. Moreover, the silver hryvnia also differed from the kun hryvnia. The second was half the size of the first, but also denoted metallic money; she, in fact, constituted a walking coin. The Novgorod hryvnia kun weighed half a pound of silver, or 48 spools, the Smolensk one - a quarter of a pound, and the Kiev one - a third. The hryvnia kun consisted of 20 nogat, or 25 kun, or 50 rezan.

The minting of small coins, gold and silver, began in Rus' according to the Byzantine model, after the adoption of Christianity. Although it was not numerous, its existence is confirmed by the finds of a number of such coins (especially the Nezhinsky treasure, found in 1852 and containing up to two hundred “pieces of silver,” as the chronicle calls them). On their front side there was usually an image of the sovereign sitting on the throne in full attire, with the inscription “Vladimir”, or “Yaroslav”, or “Svyatopolk”, etc.; on the reverse we find some kind of sign (probably the top of a scepter) with an inscription around it: “And behold his silver” or “gold”.

The question of the ancient Russian monetary system, with the abundance of numismatists and numismatic collections, has a significant literature in our country. I'll name following works: Krug "Critical research on ancient Russian coins." St. Petersburg 1807. Kazansky “Research on the Old Russian Monetary System” (West. Archaeol. General. III). Kachenovsky "On Leather Money" (posthumous edition. M. 1849). Pogodin "Research and lectures". IV. Ch. 7. Voloshinsky "Description of ancient Russian coins found near Nezhin." Kyiv. 1853. Belyaeva “Were there coins in Rus' before the 14th century?” (West. Archaeol. General. V. He resolves the issue positively). His “On the relationship of the hryvnia of the 12th century to the ruble of the 16th century” (Vremen. Ob. I. and Others XXIII). Zabolotsky "On values ​​in ancient Rus'". St. Petersburg. 1854. Kunika "On the Russian-Byzantine coins of Yaroslav I." St. Petersburg. 1860. Letters to him on the same subject from Bartolomew and Count Uvarov (in the Izvestia of Archaeology. General Vol. II and IV). Prozorovsky "On coins of Vladimir St. ". Proceedings of the IV Archaeological Congress. Vol. I. Kazan 1884. His own "Coin and weight in Russia until the end of the 18th century" (West. Archaeol. Volume. XII. 1865). The careful work of the latter perfectly clarified the system and the value of the metal coin of Ancient Rus'. Review of this essay by Academician Bychkov in the ninth award of Count Uvarov. St. Petersburg. 1867. The same Prozorovsky "Ancient Greco-Roman measures and their relationship to the Russians" (Izv. Archaeol. Ob. IX. 1880 ) and "About kun values" (Collection. Archaeological Institute. IV. St. Petersburg. 1880). Further: Prof. Usova "On ancient Russian money according to Russian truth" (Antiquities of Moscow. Archaeol. Ob. IX. 1883). Gr. . I.I. Tolstoy "Dopetrov. numismatics". Issue 1. "Coins of V. Novgorod" (St. Petersburg, 1883). Issue. 2. "Coins of Pskov" (St. Petersburg, 1886). Petrova "Coins of V. Prince of Kyiv Izyaslav Yaroslavich" (Proceedings of the IX Archaeological Congress. T. I. 1895).

Regarding the Eastern, or Muslim, coins of the 7th – 11th centuries, found in abundance in Russia, as well as about its ancient trade relations with the East, the most detailed work belongs to P.S. Savelyev “Muhammadan Numismatics”. St. Petersburg 1846. See also Pogodin “On Russian trade during the appanage period.” "Kievite". III. M. 1850.

The beginning of coinage in Rus', in the modern sense of the word, dates back to the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th centuries. Silver and gold Russian coins appeared during the reign of Vladimir the Great. Before this, either dirhams brought by merchants from the East or Byzantine coins were used for mutual settlements. Natural exchange could also occur. In addition, written sources mention several payment units, about most of which researchers have not reached a consensus.

Payment units of pre-Vladimir Rus'

The most well-known means of payment during this period is the hryvnia. This name implied massive silver jewelry, worn around the neck. In payment equivalent, the hryvnia was equal to a silver bar weighing 200 g and was exchanged for it.

Also in written sources such names as hryvnia kun, kun, nogata, cut, viveritsa (veksha) are mentioned. Researchers have not reached a consensus on what these words mean. The kuna is sometimes identified with the Arabic dirham, Western European denarius, or other silver coins. Sometimes it is associated with payments in fur for goods. Also correlated with the name of taxes that existed in those days and were called “marten”. But one way or another, the hryvnia kuna is the amount of 25 kunas.

Another unit of account was the nogat, which is correlated either with a separate group of Arab dirhams, or with payments in leather and furs. The hryvnia kun was divided into 20 nogat if necessary. The rezana was 1/2 kun, and one of the possible physical expressions of this payment unit could well be the scraps of Arab dirhams found in ancient Russian treasures.

The smallest denomination was called veksha or viveritsa (squirrel) and amounted to 1/6 kuna or, according to other sources, 1/100 hryvnia. It is quite possible that the ancient system of payments with fur simply left its mark in the form of names on the coins put into circulation by merchants.

The first Russian coins

The first coins that began to be minted at the court of Vladimir the Great were made of gold and silver and were called zlatnik and sererenik, respectively. The obverse of the coin depicted Grand Duke Kiev, on the reverse - a trident, the prince's coat of arms. The same coins were minted by the son of Vladimir the Great, Yaroslav the Wise, and Yaroslav’s cousin, Svyatoslav of Turov. On the obverse of the Yaroslav coins, the patron saint of the prince was depicted - Yuri the Shining.

It is interesting to note that Russian coins with portraits Kyiv princes and a trident were unique for Europe at that time. Western European monetary units of that time were copies of Roman coins.

The coinless period and the emergence of the ruble

After the attack of the Mongol-Tatars, a period of fragmentation began. Kyiv fell, and the minting of uniform coins in Rus' ceased. Gradually came into circulation different shapes bullions of precious metals. Among them, a single type of rectangular silver ingot with a scarred seam and “cut off” ends began to stand out, which was called the ruble. One ruble was equal to ten hryvnia kunas. The ruble was divided into smaller payment units by cutting it into pieces, which only supported its name, firmly introducing the word into everyday life.

A tenth of it was called a ten-kopeck piece. A ruble divided in half was called a poltina, and into four parts a quarter. Also, small payment units - money - were made from the ruble. Moreover, in Moscow they received 200 money from the ruble, and in Novogorod - 216.

Return of the minted coin

Russian coins began to be minted again in the second half of the 14th century. The “specific” period in Russian numismatics begins in the 1380s and is characterized by the appearance of coins minted in individual specific principalities. During this period, local monetary systems began to emerge, which later formed a single one.

For the first time, registered silver money was made in the Grand Duchy of Moscow during the reign of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. Russian ancient coins of the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod principalities date back to almost the same time. At the very beginning of the 15th century. The Principality of Tver began minting its own coins, and within 20 years Pskov and Veliky Novgorod had caught up with it. Until the end of the first half of the 15th century. Up to 50 specific rulers began to issue their own coins.

The set of coins was small: silver money and half money. Novgorod and Pskov minted money and quarter money. In some places (for example, in the Moscow and Tver principalities) there was also a copper coin of the smallest denomination - the pula.

In Moscow at the end of the 14th century, the counting system was as follows: the ruble (ingot) was divided into two half rubles, 10 hryvnias or 33 1/3 altyns. At the same time, the half-tina, the kryvennik and the altyn did not have a monetary expression; they were units of account. But denga and poludenga are minted Russian coins, and their value, in comparison with bullion, was as follows: one ruble was equal to 200 minted money or 400 poludenga. There is no data regarding the quantitative ratio of copper pool to silver coins.

Tsarist period of numismatics

From 1533 to the end of the 17th century. specific monetary systems merged, forming one, unified for the Russian state.

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible's mother, Elena Glinskaya, strict rules for minting coins were established. Silver money was produced in small and large weights. Small coins bore the image of a horseman with a sword and were called sword coins. On large silver money a horseman-spearman was depicted; they were called spear money. The modern penny originates from the latter. The smallest coin was called a half coin. It was equal to a quarter of a penny or half of money.

Before the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, Russian coins did not bear the designation of the year of issue. This king was the first to order the date to be marked on pennies.

Old Russian coins in history and numismatics

Numismatics is an auxiliary historical discipline. Money - important element any society. They bear the imprint of its political, ideological structure, religious attitudes and historical processes taking place in it. In addition, money reflects many sides public life, which fell out of sight of other documentary evidence of the past.

Thus, for example, the transition to a standardized monetary system of the tsarist period from the variety of coins of the XIV-XVI centuries. reflects the completion of a long process of centralization of scattered principalities.

In addition to its importance for historical science, numismatics is also a type of collecting. Peter I and his associate Alexander Menshikov are called the first coin collector in Russia.

Cost of Russian coins

There are many catalogs listing currently known Russian coins and their values. However, the price of a particular coin also depends on its safety and general condition.

For example, if the price of a silver piece of Prince Vladimir in fairly good condition can be more than 250 US dollars, then a fairly damaged coin without several fragments is worth much less. That is why the question of how much Russian ancient coins cost is most reasonable to solve in each specific case by the method of appropriate examination, because we're talking about about archaeological value.

The first Russian coins appear at the end of the 10th century during the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavich. These are gold coins and silver coins, repeating the Byzantine ones in their shape and size, but with Russian inscriptions. The minting did not last long and was rather symbolic in nature. The last pieces of silver are marked with the name of Yaroslav the Wise.
Almost entirely the monetary circulation of Ancient Rus' consisted of foreign coins, and sometimes other items were also used. At first, Arabic dirhams were used, then they were replaced by Western European denarii. From the 12th century, the influx of coins stopped, and silver began to arrive in the form of bars. These ingots were melted down into their own, corresponding to local weight standards. Thus began the Coinless Period, which lasted until the reign of Dmitry Donskoy. There were several types of hryvnia ingots: Novgorod in the form of thin sticks, South Russian (Kyiv) hexagonal in shape, Lithuanian (Western Russian) in the form of small sticks with notches, as well as the lesser known Chernigov and Volga.

The specimens shown in the photographs are in the collections of their owners and are not for sale.

Ancient Rus' largely copied the achievements of the Byzantine Empire, and money was no exception. At the end of the 10th century, under Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the first coins in Rus' - silver coins - began to be minted. They corresponded in size and weight to the Byzantine ones, the same production technologies were used, but the inscriptions were Russian, and a princely sign was also added. Currently, only about 400 such coins are known; they are considered rarities and almost all are kept in museums.
Around the same time, gold coins appeared, copying Byzantine gold solidi. The images on the pieces of silver and gold coins are very similar. Under the following rulers, only silver pieces were minted, the latter dating back to the time of Yaroslav the Wise. Subsequently, for unknown reasons, the minting of its own coins ceased for three centuries.

Ancient Rus' largely copied the achievements of the Byzantine Empire, and money was no exception. At the end of the 10th century, under Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the first coins in Rus' - silver coins - began to be minted. In size and weight they corresponded to the Byzantine ones... ()

Monetary circulation in the southwest of Rus' was formed already in the 4th-5th centuries. AD, in the northern regions it arose later - in the 9th century. At first, silver dirhams from the Arab Caliphate and other Middle Eastern coins were widely used. From the beginning of the 11th century, dirhams gradually gave way to Western European denarii, and English, French and German coins also began to be widely used.
The circulation of foreign coins ceased at the end of the 11th century, most likely due to a decrease in the standard of silver. They were replaced by silver bars, which lasted until the middle of the 14th century. In the Ryazan principality during this period, dirhams of the Golden Horde circulated.

Monetary circulation in the southwest of Rus' was formed already in the 4th-5th centuries. AD, in the northern regions it arose later - in the 9th century. At first, silver dirhams from the Arab Caliphate and other Middle Eastern coins were widely used. From the beginning of the 11th century... ()

Almost all Russian treasures dating from the 12th to the first half of the 14th centuries consist exclusively of silver ingots of various shapes. This allows us to conclude that during this period there was no circulation of coins on a large territory of Rus'. Silver then most likely came from Europe and was then melted down into ingots.
It was during this period, called “Coinless”, that feudal fragmentation began, and ingots of a certain shape and weight were produced in different principalities. In the south, the ingot was hexagonal and weighed about 164 grams (received the name “Kiev hryvnia”), in the north - a stick about 20 cm long and weighed 196 grams (received the name “Novgorod hryvnia”). Also in the treasures there are “Lithuanian hryvnias”, repeating the shape of the Novgorod ones, but differing in weight. In addition, “Chernigov”, “Volga” and other hryvnias are much less common. The word "hryvnia" is Old Slavonic, meaning an ornament worn around the neck (later - a measure of weight).
At the end of the 13th century, the purity of Novgorod ingots decreased, but the size and weight remained the same. The development of trade leads to the division of hryvnia into two parts (“half”). Perhaps it was then that the word “ruble” appeared. There is no exact information whether the ingots were divided into a larger number of parts (only half-shares are found in the treasures).
During the Coinless Period, various money substitutes were widely used - animal skins, cowrie shells and others.

Every state that arose on this planet in any historical period eventually came to the conclusion that it needed something more than natural exchange. The increase in trade and the emergence of large cities forced rulers or communities to find a way to value a particular product. This is how commodity-money relations were formed.

Coins of Ancient Rus' appeared in the Principality of Kiev at a time when the young state felt a vital need for it.

Money in Kievan Rus before its minting

Before the Slavic tribes united into a single great state - Kievan Rus, countries with more ancient history For many centuries they have been minting money and using it to conduct trade relations with each other.

The most Rus, found on the territory of the Principality of Kyiv, date back to the 1st-3rd centuries AD. e. and are Roman denarii. Such artifacts were found at excavation sites of ancient settlements, but it is not yet known for certain whether the Slavs used them for payment or for decoration. Since trade relations between the tribes were more of an exchange nature, the real value of denarius in this territory has not been studied.

Thus, the coin of Ancient Rus', kuna, is a concept that, according to ancient Russian chronicles, applies both to Roman, Byzantine and Arab money, and to marten fur, which was often used to pay for goods. Fur and leather have long been the object of commodity-money relations in many countries.

Kievan Rus began to mint their own money only from the end of the 10th century.

Coins of Kievan Rus

The earliest coins of Ancient Rus', found on the territory of the Principality of Kyiv, had an image of a prince on one side and a trident or two-pronged coat of arms on the other. They were made of gold and silver, so in the 19th century, when studying ancient coins and their descriptions in chronicles, they were given the names “zlatniki” and “srebreniks”.

The image of Prince Vladimir on coins from 980 to 1015 had the inscription “Vladimir is on the table, and this is his silver.” On the reverse side was the sign of the Rurikovichs, which changed depending on who reigned.

The very first of Ancient Rus' and the name “hryvnia” applied to them have their own etymology. Initially, this word meant equal to the cost of one horse (mane). The chronicles of those years mention the category “hryvnia of silver”. Later, when the casting of coins from this metal began, it began to correspond to its quantity in the banknote.

Under Vladimir the Great, zlatniks were minted, which weighed ~4.4 g, and silver coins, whose weight varied from 1.7 to 4.68 grams. In addition to the fact that these banknotes had distribution and commercial value within Kievan Rus, they were also accepted outside its borders for settlements in trade. Rus were made only under Prince Vladimir, while his followers used exclusively silver for this.

The image on the obverse of a portrait of Prince Vladimir, and on the reverse - a sign of belonging to the Rurik dynasty, was of a political nature, as it showed the subjects of the newly united state its central power.

Banknotes of Rus' 11-13th centuries

After the death of Vladimir, coins of Ancient Rus' continued to be minted by his son Yaroslav (Prince of Novgorod), known in history as the Wise.

Since Orthodoxy spread throughout the entire territory of the Kyiv principality, on Yaroslav’s banknotes there is an image not of the prince, but of St. George, whom the ruler considered his personal patron. On the reverse of the coin there was still a trident and the inscription that this was Yaroslav’s silver. After he began to reign in Kyiv, the minting of coins stopped, and the hryvnia took the form of a silver diamond.

The last coins of Ancient Rus' (photo below - the money of Oleg Svyatoslavich) are banknotes of 1083-1094, since the subsequent historical period of this state is called coinless. At this time, it was customary to pay using silver hryvnia, which was actually an ingot.

There were several varieties of hryvnia, the main difference being their shape and weight. Thus, the Kiev hryvnia had the shape of a rhombus with cut ends, the weight of which was ~160 g. Chernigov (rhombus) was also in use correct form weighing ~195 g), Volga (flat ingot weighing 200 g), Lithuanian (bar with notches) and Novgorod (smooth bar weighing 200 g) hryvnia.

The smallest coin of Ancient Rus' still remained of European origin, since silver was not spent on small change. During the time of the Principality of Kyiv, foreign money had its own name - kuna, nogata, veksha - and had its own denomination. So, in the 11th-12th centuries, 1 hryvnia was equal to 20 nogat or 25 kun, and from the end of the 12th century - 50 kun or 100 veks. This is due to the rapid growth of both Kievan Rus itself and its trade relations with other countries.

There is an opinion among scientists that the smallest coins were the skins of martens - kuna, and squirrels - vekshi. One skin was equal to twenty-fifth or fiftieth of a hryvnia, but from the 12th century, payment in fur became obsolete, as the minting of metal kunas began.

The emergence of the ruble

From the 12th century, “chopped” money began to appear in the circulation of Kievan Rus, which was made from silver hryvnia. It was a silver rod, which included 4 “chopped” parts. Each such piece had notches indicating its weight and, accordingly, cost.

Each ruble could be divided into 2 halves, then they were called “half”. Since the 13th century, all hryvnias gradually acquired the name “ruble”, and from the 14th century they began to bear the marks of masters, the names of princes and various symbols.

Coins of Ancient Rus' were used not only to pay for goods, but also to pay fines to the prince’s treasury. Thus, for the murder of a free citizen, the punishment was the highest measure - “vira”, which could cost from 5 hryvnia for a smerd and up to 80 hryvnia for a noble person. For injury caused, the court imposed punishment of half-virye. “Slander” - the fine for slander - was 12 hryvnia.

Payment of taxes to the princely treasury was called a “bow,” and the law itself, issued by Yaroslav the Wise, was called a “bow to the faithful,” indicating the amount of tribute levied from each community.

Coins of the Moscow Principality

The “coinless” time in Kievan Rus ended by the middle of the 14th century, when the minting of coins, called “money,” began again. Often, instead of minting, silver coins of the Golden Horde were used, on which Russian symbols were embossed. The small coins produced were called “half money” and “chetverets”, and the copper coins were called pula.

At this time, banknotes did not yet have a generally recognized denomination, although the Novgorod money produced since 1420 was already close to this. They were minted for more than 50 years in an unchanged form - with the inscription “Veliky Novgorod”.

Since 1425, “Pskov money” appeared, but a unified money system was formed only by the end of the 15th century, when 2 types of coins were adopted - Moscow and Novgorod. The basis of the denomination was the ruble, the value of which was equal to 100 Novgorod and 200 Moscow money. The main monetary unit of weight was still considered the silver hryvnia (204.7 g), from which coins worth 2.6 rubles were cast.

Only in 1530 did 1 ruble receive its final nominal value, which is still used today. It is equal to 100 kopecks, a half - 50, and a hryvnia - 10 kopecks. The smallest money - altyn - was equal to 3 kopecks, 1 kopeck had a face value of 4 half rubles.

Rubles were minted in Moscow, and small money in Novgorod and Pskov. During the reign of the last of the Rurikovich family, Fyodor Ivanovich, kopecks also began to be minted in Moscow. The coins acquired the same weight and image, which indicates the adoption of a unified monetary system.

During the Polish and Swedish occupation, the money again lost its uniform appearance, but after the proclamation of the Tsar from the Romanov family in 1613, the coins acquired the same appearance with his image. Since the end of 1627 it has become the only one in the country.

Coins of other principalities

They minted their own money at different times. The production of coins became most widespread after Dmitry Donskoy issued his first money, which depicted a warrior with a saber on a horse. They were made from a thin silver rod, which was previously flattened. The craftsmen used a special tool with a prepared image - a coin, which, when struck on silver, produced coins of the same size, weight and design.

Soon the rider’s saber was replaced with a spear, and thanks to this the name of the coin became “kopek”.

Following Donskoy, many began to mint their own coins, depicting the ruling princes on them. Because of this, there was a discrepancy in the nominal value of money, which made trading extremely difficult, so minting was prohibited anywhere except Moscow, and a unified monetary system appeared in the country.

Rezana

In addition to solid ones, there was also a homemade coin in Ancient Rus', which was called “rezana”. It was made by cutting the dirham of the Abbasid Caliphate. The nominal value of the “rezan” was equal to 1/20 of a hryvnia, and circulation continued until the 12th century. The disappearance of this coin from the territory of Kievan Rus is due to the fact that the caliphate stopped minting dirhams, and the “rezana” began to be replaced by the kuna.

Coins of Rus' 17th century

Since 1654, the main money was the ruble, half, half-half and altyn. There was no need for smaller coins.

Rubles in those days were made of silver, and half coins, which were similar to them, were minted from copper to differentiate them. Half-and-half coins were also silver, and kopecks were copper.

Real inflation was led to by a royal decree ordering that copper coins be equal in value to silver, which caused food prices to rise and popular unrest to begin. A great uprising in 1662 in Moscow, called the "Copper Riot", led to the decree being repealed and the coinage silver money restored.

Reform of Peter 1

The first real monetary reform was carried out by Peter 1 in 1700. Thanks to her, the mint began minting silver rubles, half, half, half, altyns, hryvnia and copper kopecks. Chervonets were made from gold. Gold round blanks were made for them, onto which inscriptions and images were applied by embossing.

There were simple (weight - 3.4 g) and double chervonets (6.8 g with the image of Peter 1 on the obverse and a double-headed eagle on the reverse). Also in 1718, a coin with the image of the denomination - a two-ruble coin - appeared for the first time.

These denominations survived virtually unchanged until the 20th century.

Coins of Kievan Rus today

Today there is:

• Zlatnikov Vladimir - 11;

• silver coins of Vladimir - more than 250;
• silver coins of Svyatopolk - about 50;
• silver coins of Yaroslav the Wise - 7.

The most expensive coins Ancient Rus' - gold coins of Vladimir (more than $100,000) and silver coins of Yaroslav the Wise ($60,000).

Numismatics

The science that studies coins is called numismatics. Thanks to it, collectors can correctly assess the historical and financial value of money. The most rare coins Kievan Rus are on display historical museums, where visitors can learn about the history of their coinage and today's market value.