Money of pre-Petrine Russia: scale coins

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Scale coins got their name from their shape. Their appearance resembles the scales of fish. The coins that have survived to this day are made mainly of silver, a much smaller number of them are made of copper. There is an assumption that there were also golden scales.

The archaeologists and historians could not establish the exact date of the appearance of these banknotes in everyday life, but they appeared even before the Tatar-Mongol yoke. But the end of their use is known - this is the monetary reform of Peter I in 1718. Therefore, the history of scales goes back over a thousand years. Initially, they did not have a specific denomination. The value of a flake coin was determined by weight. Silver signs, of course, were more expensive than copper ones. And in general, silver at that time was valued more than now. In those days, about 10 grams of silver was given for 1 gram of gold.

Production of flake coins

Since weight was important in coins, little attention was paid to content and form. They took a piece of wire, cut it into pieces, which were flattened with a stamp. The shape of the products turned out to be elongated, very similar to fish scales. The image from the stamp did not fit completely. The seal was placed by hand, it fell unevenly on the money, and the content of the drawing could only be judged by having several money from one manufacturer. This production technology causes the absence of two identical products. If the wire was made of silver, then a silver flake coin was obtained. Each prince had his own mint, so the variety of products is huge. As a rule, the name of the ruler appeared on the obverse, and some kind of image was applied to the reverse: a mythical beast or a rider with a spear. Despite the fact that Russia had already been baptized, many pagan symbols can be seen on the coins.

Monetary reform of Elena Glinskaya

It is believed that full scale coins should have a weight of 1 gram. But over the entire existence of these money, their weight has constantly decreased. Late coins weigh only half a gram. Note that at the beginning of the 16th century, there were a lot of various banknotes in use in Russia. Yes, and those all the time cut off and replaced. Trade deals were made with great difficulty. There is a need for reform, caused by the creation of a unified monetary system of the state. It had to be carried out by Elena Glinskaya, the widow of Vasily III. Old money was banned, new ones could only be printed at the sovereign's mint. A new name was introduced - a penny, but in general, the coins retained the old manufacturing technology and appearance. And the people still called them scales. Only now, in connection with the name of the Russian sovereign, for example,coins-flakes of Alexei Mikhailovich.

Periodization of flake coins

Old scale coins have undergone many changes during their existence, which are associated with specific events and technologies for their manufacture. Thus, some periodization can be defined. The first period - from the 9th to the beginning of the 12th century - is characterized by the absence of gold, silver and copper mining in Russia. Foreign coins were widely used, and their own were made from ingots of precious metals, which were regarded primarily as a commodity. At this time, the monetary-weight system of Russia was formed.

From the 12th to the 14th century, during the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the production of our own coins was discontinued.

In the third period - from the 14th to the beginning of the 16th century - the minting of Russian banknotes was restored, but each specific prince acquired his own mint.

The fourth stage is directly related to the reform of Elena Glinskaya: at this moment, the centralization of the monetary system in Moscow takes place.

The fifth period is due to monetary changes at the court of Peter I. The scales are replaced with money printed on machine tools. They become larger in weight and face value. The decimal system of measurement is introduced.

Numismatists

Because scales are found everywhere, their value depends on how many particular coins are on the market, as well as on the metal from which they are made. The price at auctions has a fairly wide range:from 140 rubles to 7 thousand. The coins of specific princes are considered the most valuable, because such banknotes come across not so often. And if they come across, then their condition is very deplorable. Quarter money and half money are highly valued, since these coins are also extremely rare. Their percentage in the extracted treasures is very small.