Mints are production-type enterprises, the main activity of which is the minting of coins, the manufacture of orders, medals and other distinctive symbols. The history of enterprises goes back to the distant past, at the time of the appearance of the first monetary systems. Today, mints are high-tech enterprises that issue coins at the request of the State Banks. All manufacturers work in a strictly classified mode.
Types of mints and a bit of history
Mints can be state-owned, which fulfill the orders of the Central Bank. There are similar private organizations that specialize in issuing orders and medals, badges and license plates. Each type of enterprise is characterized by the presence of its own unique hallmark applied to all coins. The ownership of coins of the state and territorial type is determined precisely with the help of the hallmark. The first mention of this category of production dates back to the 5th century BC. The first mints appeared in Athens. From the 2nd century BC, production was moved from the temple of Theseus to that of Juno. Already 115 years after the birth of Christ, the courtyard wasin the Roman Colosseum. After the appearance of production in Rome, Lyon, Constantinople, Sicily and Aquileia, they spread throughout the world.
The first courtyards in Russia: assumptions of historians
It is quite problematic to imagine what the mint was like in the past. The photo was not taken at that time, the sketches were not preserved. There are only assumptions and conjectures. There are facts that indicate that enterprises were transferred into the hands of private individuals, whose activities were subsequently strictly supervised. People involved in minting coins were exempted from taxes and duties. They had the privilege of not being prosecuted for all acts except murder, robbery, and fraud. Historical records show that the very first mints on the territory of modern Russia in the past worked in such Greek cities of that time as Feodosia and Gorgippia, today known as Anapa. Traces of such industries were seen in Derbent and Tmutarakan.
The First Courtyard in Moscow: theories and conjectures
Organized minting of coins in Moscow, according to preliminary estimates and research, began during the reign of Ivan Donskoy (1362-1389). There is no information about this court and its location in historical records, the fact of its presence was established solely based on the analysis of coins of that time. The first Moscow money was decorated with Russian and Arabic inscriptions, numeroustechnologically made stamp connections.
Mentions from history
The mints of Russia, the presence of which is officially recorded, were founded in the 14th-15th centuries. At that time, the country was led by John III. Minting of coins was carried out not only in Moscow, but also in such cities as Pskov, Novgorod and Tver. In the period from the 16th to the 17th century, the minting of coins was entrusted to mintzmeisters. This practice was also common in Europe. There is also evidence that in the 15th century not only state-owned enterprises functioned in Moscow, but also money workshops of individual princes of the Kalita family. The first recorded "sovereign" court appeared after one of the first monetary reforms of Elena Glinskaya in the period from 1535 to 1538. The company was located on Varvarka street. This event was the beginning of the unification of the Russian monetary system. The mints of Russia many centuries ago issued coins of the same weight and external design, which were mandatory for acceptance throughout the entire territory of the Russian state. Chasing was carried out by hand, and silver wire served as the material for production. The wire was initially cut into pieces of the same size, and then they were pressed. Next, manual knocking out of images and inscriptions on smooth blanks began.
Centralization of the money economy
In 1595, an agency called the Monetary Order was formed. The organization exercised control over the minting of coins on behalf of the state. This step became the basis of allcentralization of the money economy. All cash yards that at that time worked on the territory of the country received official designations with which they needed to mark their products.
- Moscow Court - "M" or "MO".
- Novgorodsky yard - “V. BUT.”
- Pskov yard - "PS".
Coin enterprises of Russia in the 15th-20th centuries
The answer to the question of how to determine the mint became easier to give after each enterprise had its own crown marking. The following industries that have contributed to coinage can be mentioned:
- Red Court, or Chinese. It is located near the Kitai-Gorod wall. On the obverse and reverse of the coins put the symbols "KD", "MMD", "MM". The production operated from 1697 to 1979. The court issued gold, silver and copper money of the national type with different denominations. They also made special coins. The Mint issued money for the B altic provinces and Prussia.
- Kadashevsky yard in Kadashevsky settlement. It was also called Khamovny, Zamoskvoretsky, Naval and Admir alty. On the obverse and reverse, the signs "MM" and "MD", "MDZ" and "MDD", "M" and "Moscow", "Mint" were placed. The production operated from 1701 to 1736. The issue of gold, copper and silver coins of various denominations was carried out. Copper coins have been minted in a specialized production department since 1704.
- Embankment copper yard on the territory of the Kremlin. Such signs as "ND" and "NDZ", "NDD" were minted on the coins. He worked from 1699 to 1727, producingcoins of all denominations.
- The St. Petersburg, or Imperial, Mint was founded on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress in 1724. The designations on the coins are "SPB" and "SPM", "SP" and "SM". He worked until the issue of money of the tsarist government was stopped. He took an active part in the re-minting of bronze coins.
- Ekaterinburg court issued coins with the designations "EM" and "Yekaterinburg". He worked from 1727 to 1876. The issue of coins was supplemented by the production of circles for other mints.
It is worth mentioning such enterprises as the Imperial Mint and Anninsky (“AM”), Kolyvansky (“KM” and “Kolyvan Copper”) and Suzunsky (“SM”) Sestrovetsky (“SM”) and Kolpinsky ("KM"), Tauride ("TM") and Tiflis, Warsaw ("VM", "MW") and Helsingfors.
Productions that did not use their insignia
The mintmark made it possible to determine where and when a coin of a certain denomination was issued. However, in the history of Russia, courts were widespread that did not use their own insignia, but affixed the stamp of other industries on the monetary units. These are the Bank Yard and the Rosencrantz Plant, the Paris Court and Strasbourg, Birmingham and Izhora, the Brussels and Avesta Courts. Moreover, some mints, such as Krasny or Petersburg, could use in their work the insignia of Kadashevsky and Embankment Medny Dvor, other similar organizations, which significantly complicated the workhistorians.
Coinage in the RSFSR and the USSR
In the RSFSR, the designations helped to determine which mint issued money:
- "A. G." - these are the initials of Hartmann, who at that time was the head of the coin redistribution until 1923.
- "P. L." - initials of Latyshev, chief since 1924.
- T. R. - the initials of Thomas Ross, head of minting redistribution of the London court.
The mintmark during the existence of the USSR was of two types:
- "LMD" or "L" - Leningrad Mint.
- "MMD" or "M" - Moscow Mint.
Such a sign was and is a kind of symbol of the coin's belonging to a particular production. The symbol can be in the form of letters, or it can be presented in the form of a monogram, drawing or sign.
Modern Russia
In modern Russia, the following designations can be found on coins: "MMD" and "SPMD" - which indicate their release either at the Moscow or St. Petersburg Mint. Since 1991, it has been customary to put signs like “M”, “L”, “MMD” and “LMD” on money. Starting from the period of 1997, these are “M”, “S-P” and “MMD”, “SPMD”. The last two symbols were applied to money in the form of a monogram. Russian coins, starting from 1997, are decorated with the inscriptions "M", "S-P", "MMD" and "SPMD" in monogram format. On small coins with denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 50 kopecks, the sign can be seen on the right side under the hoof. The signs "M" and "S-P" on coins with a face value of 1, 2 and 5 rubles are located under the right paw of the eagle. The monogram "SPMD" can be seen on the anniversary banknotes of Russia with a face value of 10 rubles. It is located on the obverse, right below the inscription "10 rubles".
How coins are issued in 2015
The Central Bank of Russia, since 1992, has been issuing commemorative coins of both precious and non-precious format every year. Moreover, investment coins are systematically issued, which are completely minted from precious metals. At the same time, as before, each of them is marked with a mint mark. The minting process is carried out as part of the main issuing activity and is planned for the entire previous year. The plan for issuing coins is approved by the leadership of the Central Bank and then posted on the official website of the latter. Each collectible coin is issued either at the Moscow or St. Petersburg mints. This makes it easier to find an answer to the question of how to determine the mint. The coins are decorated with special signs, of which there are only 4 today. The country's Central Bank has no right to distribute collectible coins among individuals. The main distributor is Sberbank. Coins are initially bought up in the first wave by speculators, who later sell them at an inflated price.
Government plans for 2015
In accordance with the emission plan, two types of investment banknotes will be minted in 2015. During the year, 73 commemorative precious coins and 12 commemorative coins from base metal will be produced. In the future, it is worth continuing the release of series,started earlier: "Cities of Military Glory" and "Outstanding People of Russia". The most expensive coin in the history of the country is dated 1999 and has a face value of 5 kopecks. Its exact cost is unknown, but it significantly exceeds the amount of 100 thousand rubles in open auctions. These types of coins are especially valued by numismatists.
