2021-02-12
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The Empress ' Gold
The year 1755 gave the Russian Empire not only the first university in its history, opened in Moscow under the project of Mikhail Lomonosov and Count Shuvalov. This year, there were events that affected the further monetary circulation in Russia - the purchase of a lightweight coin (copper 1 and 5 kopecks, fakes of which were simply teeming with the Russian market) and its replacement with the issue of coins (money and polushek) from the pud.
Gold coins themselves already have a certain material value, since they are made of precious metal. But when a coin is rare or only a few copies of it have been preserved , in this case it is an even more expensive rarity.
In the same year, the monetary reform carried out by the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna falls. As a result, the treasury issued a huge amount of new money - copper, silver, and gold.
Among these rarities is a gold coin with a face value of 20 rubles. However, it was never destined to be in circulation - the empress still did not approve such a large denomination. But for the presentation in the Senate in August 1755, the director of the St. Petersburg Mint, Ivan Schlatter, had something to show.
He had in his hands a couple of copies of the 'Elizabeth's Gold' -10-ruble coins, called 'IMPERIAL', as well as a very presentable sample of 20 rubles - 'DOUBLE IMPERIAL'.
The twenty-ruble coin has a mass of pure gold of 917 samples as much as 33 grams. Let's just say that neither of them have been put into circulation. Therefore, they are extremely rare. The name of the coin is due to the inscriptions on the reverse, where it was engraved: 'Elizavetin gold.' This was a tribute to the European fashion - both in France and in Prussia, portraits of reigning emperors (Friedrichsdorff, Louis d'or) were minted on coins. In their honor and was the name of the monetary unit.
Elizabeth also decided to reveal her face to the world. There was, however, the empress had a thing on which she was fixated - it was her snub nose. Contemporaries noted this feature of Elizabeth Petrovna's face, and she herself was terribly angry if anyone even dared to speak on this topic. All court artists were strictly forbidden to portray the queen in profile - under pain of severe punishment (which, by the way, Elizabeth was very generous).
But, what to do if on the coin all the august personages are depicted exclusively in profile?! Here a saving allusion came to the aid of the artists, which made it possible to make a beautiful image of the nosy empress. Well, who would pickily compare the portrait with the original, if on the head of madame the most direct confirmation of the identity-the crown?
The court medallist, the Scot Benjamin Scott, worked hard to create an image of Russian money. In particular, over the portrait of the capricious empress. It is said that he took the image created by another famous medallist - Gedlinger as the basis for it.
On the obverse we see a buxom lady in a luxurious outfit, crowned with the attribute of royal power. Her curls are elegant, her face resembles a doll's-round cheeks, almost perfect nose, open forehead. It was this image that was taken as a model for coinage on other Russian coins of the Elizaveta Petrovna model.
On the reverse, it was decided to depict four territorial coats of arms of the Russian Empire, reminding that its components are Siberia, Moscow, Kazan and Astrakhan ('Kazan - took, Astrakhan - took'). And they represent a powerful, unified state.
A rare rarity - a 20-ruble gold one-has survived to this day. Two copies of it are known. The first of them is in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, and the second excites the ardent hearts of collectors. It is in a private collection, and numismatists around the world hope that the coin will be available for sale.
However, the amount given for it last time, somewhat cools the desire to become its owner. In 2008, at the London auction of ' St. James 'Auctions' an unknown collector bought the coin for an absolutely fantastic sum-1.5 million pounds. So valuable is the Russian national history and everything connected with it.
And even if 20 gold rubles of the sample of 1755 remained unapproved, but they served as a worthy model for the creation of subsequent coins in the Russian Empire.
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