Where did coins first begin to be made? Where did the first coins appear? Money has its own history! Copper revolt or an attempt to escape from commodity money

Money is a fairly ancient means of payment. But market relations arose much earlier. For centuries, ancient people made purchases and exchanged goods without the use of coins, notes or promissory notes. How did you manage to carry out trading operations, and what led to the emergence modern money- in our material.

How did people pay in ancient times?

Market relations arose back in the 7-8 millennium BC. After decomposition primitive society not only living conditions improved, but also tools. Thanks to this, people began to have surplus produced products, which were exchanged for more needed ones.

U different nations there were their own objects that acted as money. For example, hunting tribes exchanged surplus game for grain and fruits from tribes that were engaged in agriculture and gathering, and for livestock from pastoralists. In Pomeranian settlements, fish was used as currency, which was exchanged for bread and meat. However, due to different human needs, it was not always possible to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

The inconvenience of direct exchange led to the emergence of a universal product that was able to satisfy as many requests as possible. Later it was called the general equivalent. In his role in different countries There were goods of various natures and purposes. Many peoples used livestock as currency. For example, the northern peoples paid with deer, and the ancestors of the Germans with cows.

Barter - a system of equal exchange

Gradually, direct exchange ceased to be relevant. People began to understand that the products they exchanged were not equivalent. Then barter became a system of equal exchange.

As a rule, important consumer goods acted as barter. In some societies it was sugar, furs, ivory bones, cocoa, and in others cowrie shells, beads, allspice and tobacco leaves. Such an exchange also had its drawbacks, since it was difficult to objectively determine the value of a particular product. For example, it was impossible to say exactly how many bags of grain should be given for one sheep. In addition, like direct exchange, barter included human factor, in which both parties to the process must mutually come to the conclusion that the deal is beneficial to both. This factor greatly limited the possibilities of trade.

Gradually, the system of commodity-money relations became more complex, which led to the emergence of a market. More significant goods were involved here: honey, gold, jewelry, grain, fur, salt, and in some countries slaves served as currency. This contributed to the emergence of fairs. Traders from different countries began to come to them in order to enrich themselves.

When did they first mint coins?

When trade smoothly moved from the local to the international level, there was an urgent need for a currency that would suit everyone. Initially these were small ingots from precious metals having different weight and shape. They were very popular and had high value. Their authenticity was confirmed by the mark that merchants left on them.

The first coins began to be minted in Lydia, around 700 BC. Unlike weight bars, the production of such currency was carried out by the state itself. The main metals for minting were gold, copper and silver. But with the advent of the first coins, fakes also appeared. To confirm the value of government money, the government put an image on it with an inscription. In many countries, counterfeiting was punishable by death.

The emergence of official currency greatly simplified the economy and strengthened money as a means of payment. Minted coins gradually replaced barter, and the cost of goods began to be calculated according to a special formula. The prices already included the materials used, the labor intensity of the work and time costs. The designation of value made it possible to make the process of goods exchange more convenient, faster and easier.

When did the first paper money appear?

Although the coin was firmly established in everyday use, some difficulties also arose with it. For example, it was difficult for merchants to store or transport them; special carts and guards were hired for this purpose. In addition, it was difficult to obtain metal for minting coins. This became a prerequisite for the emergence of new means of payment.

The first paper money began to be used in China, in the 1st millennium new era. The Chinese were the first to think of depositing their savings in “banks.” In return, a special document was issued, which indicated the amount held by the “banker”. This allowed people to pay not with coins, but with certificates.

Such receipts circulated throughout the world until the 16th century, and confidence in them only grew. Such banknotes were small rectangles of paper, each of which had the denomination of the bill printed on it. This kind of money made it possible to solve problems with debt notes and really support the economy. In Russia, the first paper money appeared only in 1769 under Catherine II.

It may seem strange, but today not only people have money. An example of this.

When it comes to talking about the first money, professional historians and archaeologists, as a rule, talk about animal skins, bird feathers and various kinds shells In the eastern part Pacific Ocean on the islands of Micronesia, for example, as a prototype modern coins Rai were used - round stones with a carved center. They were made from limestone. The dimensions of these “coins” could reach several meters, and their weight could reach several tons! From the point of view of scientists, these were the first money. Cows, bulls, sheep were also used as money (the word “capital” comes from the Old German “wealth”, it consisted in the number of livestock) and so on...

Nothing can be done - this is the scientific way of thinking! But for an ordinary person, of course, all of the above rather refers to the predecessors of modern currency, its original prototypes, and cannot in any way be called money in the full sense of the word. After all, these are not even coins!

Metal as a board

But the moment came when the monetary function passed to metals - but not yet to coins. Metal rings, household utensils, arrow and spear tips, and even ingots of various weights and shapes could be used as payment. For example, the Italians accepted copper ingots by weight before they had the first coins (we talked about 300 kg of ingots found in Italy in the sacred spring of Apollo in the article about natural exchange). Then it occurred to someone to mix copper and tin with silver and gold. The result was gold and silver bars containing a certain percentage of the precious metal. To avoid confusion, the ingots were checked for weight, and a sample was taken from the metal. For the first time, a mark appeared on the bars, with the help of which the state solved the problem of counterfeiting money. Perhaps, it was from the beginning of the practice of branding that we can talk about the origin of the first coins, that is, the appearance of money.

First coins

According to some sources, bronze coins first appeared in the highly developed ancient Chinese culture in the second millennium BC. e. But, as you know, Ancient China developed in a very isolated manner, so in the countries of the Mediterranean basin they first started talking about minted coins only in the 7th century BC. e.

The metal was exposed to high temperatures, after which it was formed into small disks and sent to the anvil. In the writings of Herodotus there is a mention of the minting of the first coins in the state of Lydia. Similar information is found in other ancient Greek thinkers. It is now generally accepted that it was in Lydia in the 7th century BC. e. They began to make coins from an alloy of silver and gold. Coins came to Greece, Iran and Italy from there, quickly gaining a place in economy. The practice of minting coins was later adopted by barbarian tribes from the Romans.

They began to call the coin a coin later. Moneta is one of the nicknames of the goddess Juno. Juno Moneta translates as Juno "warning" or "adviser". In antiquity, a mint was located next to her temple on the Capitoline Hill.

The first coins in Rus'

The first coins were brought to our country in the 8th century. In the Arab Caliphate, dirhams were minted - coins that were brought to Kievan Rus by merchants who went “over the hill” to buy goods. The original name did not catch on, but soon its own name appeared - “kuna”. Half a kuna was called rezana, 25 kuna was a hryvnia. By the way, the word “hryvnia” comes from the word “mane” (neck) and meant a necklace made of precious metal. The Russians began minting their own coins at the end of the 10th century. In Rus', these were coins made of gold and silver with the image of the Great Prince and the sign of the Rurikovichs. They were called goldsmiths and silversmiths, respectively. But the Tatar-Mongol yoke came - and in Rus' they switched to bars of silver. And only in the 14th century the minting of Russian coins resumed. The first Russian ruble came from the word “cut,” and it looked like a stump: 200 grams of silver in the form of an elongated block, roughly chopped off at the ends. The cost of that ruble was one hryvnia kun.

This careless block was cut into two parts and received half rubles, divided by four - quarters were formed. Small coins were also made from the ruble, the name of which served as a prototype modern word"money". The ruble block was pulled into a thin wire, which was then cut into pieces. The resulting stumps were flattened and coins - money - were minted from them. This was the name of the medieval Turkic silver coins täŋkä.

Copper revolt or an attempt to escape from commodity money

Of course, the coins are like the first ones money significantly changed the way of life human life, formed a new type economy and people's behavior. And everything would be fine, but counterfeiters appeared - and if not on the same day, then the next day after the first coin appeared. The profession, frankly speaking, is the oldest. In Rus', mention of counterfeiters can be found already in one of the Novgorod chronicles of 1447. The state took punitive measures, but there were no fewer violators. In 1655, Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich decided to issue coins from copper. He replaced precious metals with base metals - and this is how the nominal value of money arose. But this led to chaos in the coin industry system and, as a consequence, to the copper riot. The bloody scenes at the end of the riot were described by diplomat and writer Grigory Kotoshikhin:

“They hanged 150 people, and the decree was enough for everyone, they tortured and burned... and inflicting punishment on them, they sent everyone to distant cities to live forever... and another thief of the same days, in the night, carried out a decree, with his hands tied back in large courts, they were sunk in the Moscow River.”

Peter's reform and real money

As a result of the rebellion, of course, the copper coin was gradually abolished and silver coins began to be minted again. And to the level of developed European countries The Russian coin was introduced by Peter I, who carried out the reform in 1698. Copper coins re-established themselves in monetary circulation. And this is very remarkable! After all, now it was possible to talk about the real first coin, not about commodity money tied to the direct value of its material.

This is money issued and in circulation in the form of coins.

History of metal money

The very first coins appeared in the 2nd millennium BC in China. They were made by casting bronze.

The first gold coin familiar to modern man(that is, round) shape appeared in Lydia (today the territory of Turkey) in the 7th century BC. Then the coins quickly spread to the territory of other states - Greece, Macedonia, and Western European countries.

Around the same time, coinage began to be minted in the Mediterranean countries. This process strictly controlled by the state. Gold, silver and copper were used to produce metal money in those days.

Gold metal money from the 3rd century BC. began to be minted in Rome. It should be noted that it was the Romans who began to call the metal money that was produced in the Temple of Juno the Coin, coins.

In Russia, metal money made of gold appeared during the time of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. The first Russian gold coin is the Vladimir zlatnik, weighing approximately 4 g.

Throughout VIII-XIV century. - silver was mainly used for the production of metallic money. In the XV -XVIII centuries. There were coins in circulation, minted from both silver and gold.

XIX - mid. XX century historians characterize it as the time of the gold standard (“solar” metal became the universal equivalent, and silver coins turned into small change). Gold coins were most popular in the 19th century, especially in Great Britain. This state, thanks to the presence large quantity colonies and dominions, ranked first in the world in gold production. The properties of the “solar” metal served as the basis for the transition to the active use of gold metal money. Gold coins are distinguished by uniformity in quality, high concentration of value, excellent preservation, and difficulty in mining and processing.

It was gold coins that were the main competitors to the American dollar. Therefore, the United States tried to abolish . The decision to exclude gold metal money from circulation was made at the Jamaica Conference in the 70s of the last century.

Classification of metal money

Metal money is divided into two main types:

full-fledged (made mainly of noble metals);

inferior (mainly aluminum and its alloys are used for the production of coins).

Defective metal money is used as a bargaining chip.

Experts point out that the state issues metal coins with a so-called forced exchange rate, that is, it specifically assigns them an inflated face value. For example, in Russia, the production of a coin with a face value of 2 rubles costs the state only 79 kopecks.

Characteristics of metal money

Metal money has the following characteristics:

obverse - front side coins where it is usually minted;

reverse - the reverse side of metal money (the place where religious or state symbols are minted);

edge - edge of a coin.

The minting of metal money is strictly centralized and is carried out exclusively by state mints.

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The exact date of appearance of the first paper money unknown. The primary reason for the emergence of paper means of payment was the need for long-term preservation and durability of their units. An important criterion was the ease of use of money and its ability to be divided into smaller parts. When metallic money arose, it already became a prerequisite for the emergence of paper money. China is considered the birthplace of paper currency, where the first paper was invented. The first coins became, in the truest sense of the word, a heavy burden for their owners. Subsequently, coins began to be left for storage in special institutions (prototypes of the first banking institutions) against a written receipt - a “written promise”. These kinds of documents have become widespread even at the state level. Another reason for the transition to paper money was the acute shortage of metal associated with the development of the mining industry. In general, the need for money had been brewing for a long time, as the economy did not stand still. Thus, the first paper bills appeared. The first money came to Russia due to its rapid and widespread distribution in Europe. They were used under the name "assignation". With the advent of new types of money, it became necessary for the governments of advanced countries to need more money.

Reasons for interest in paper money

The emergence of paper money was accompanied by an increase in the level of development of the economies of the world. Paper money is not as durable as, for example, metal money. Their main advantage is the convenience and speed of their production, the interchangeability of worn-out bills and new ones. Banknotes - cash very easy to handle compared to coins. One of the significant problems in the functioning of paper units in the state is the possible issue (issue of banknotes that are not confirmed by the country’s gold reserves). Paper means of payment in the financial circulation of the state should be limited in quantity. On modern stage world development monetary system The optimal solution to avoid emissions is considered to be lending (credit resources). Paper currency has always had appearance, which required constant changes. But the unchangeable attributes of banknotes are: an individual number, protective details against counterfeiting (watermarks, special paper). Paper bills are an original document of the era, a historical document of a particular state and the world as a whole.

The history of the first paper money

This is documentary evidence of political, economic, financial events in world history.

The first paper money was primitive

Paper receipts and bills were necessarily accepted as money. The problem was the exchange of coins for paper money of this kind. The psychological factor was also at work: the population expressed high degree wariness and distrust of paper money rather than familiar and reliable metallic monetary units. Therefore, metal currency was valued more expensive than fragile “paper”. This has led to competition between these types of means of payment. The historical and economic factor played a role in Russia: a sharp drop in the value of silver led to a more active spread of interest in paper money. The issuance of paper money in the United States is associated with the country's preparation for Civil War. They were called "greenbacks". This was the first type of paper currency in America. In the Soviet state, paper money was marked by the issue of “Sovznak”, on which there were no signatures or seals, only the denomination. During the Great Patriotic War, the stability of the monetary system was noted. In wartime conditions, citizens used cards to obtain food and industrial goods. At the same time, the state steadily maintained the price level. During this period, “counterfeits” were actively spreading, which negatively affected the monetary system as a whole.

Money is like a hedgehog: hard to find, easy to catch, hard to keep.

The first paper money.

The brave Venetian merchant Marco Polo had a chance to travel a lot. He was born in the middle of the 13th century, when our land was little explored. As a seventeen-year-old youth, he went with other merchants to eastern countries where Europeans have never been before.

Lived for seventeen years in China. When he returned home, a book about his travels was written from his words. The stories in it were so amazing that no one believed them. They considered it a fiction that in China they heat stoves not with wood, but with “black stone” (coal), that they pay for goods not with coins, but with paper money. That's how amazing China was in the 13th century!

At this time, there was no talk of paper in Europe. And yet, Europe soon needed its first paper money. Metal steels are inconvenient for calculations. If you buy expensive thing, you have to carry the money on a cart. By this time, trade had gained momentum, and many goods appeared. Paper also appeared.

And so banks began to issue the first paper money, which was called banknotes, that is, bank notes. Banknotes first appeared at the cash desks of the Stockholm Bank in 1661, then at the Bank of England in 1694 in denominations of one pound sterling. Banknotes are also called banknotes, which in everyday life means the same thing.

Banknotes in Russia.

Banknotes in Russia began to be issued 100 years after the English ones, in 1769, under Empress Catherine II. Specially established banks began to issue banknotes (payment orders, or paper money) in denominations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 rubles.

The paper for the new money was produced by the Krasnoselskaya factory under the supervision of executors sent from St. Petersburg. To protect banknotes from counterfeiting, they were served, firstly, by watermarks, secondly, by genuine signatures of officials and, thirdly, by relief embossed images placed inside two vertical ovals in the center of the banknote.

At first, paper money was very popular among the population; they were accepted even more readily than silver and copper. With them it was incomparably easier and faster to carry out large settlements and transactions! Wherein Russian banks, like all European banks, began to issue bank notes that were not backed by gold reserves. At this time, Russia was at war with Turkey, and the costs of the war were large.

Despite the fact that banknotes quickly depreciated, they nevertheless entered Russian everyday life. Emperor Paul I, who ascended the throne in 1796, tried to abolish them. He obliged banks to buy banknotes from the population for full-fledged gold and silver coins, and to burn paper ones.

However, Paul I had to abandon this idea: redeeming the banknotes required such a huge supply of gold, which, alas, was not in the banks.

Banknotes were abolished in 1839-1843, when Tsar Nicholas I carried out a monetary reform and banknotes were replaced with silver currency. Then they said: “This product costs so many silver rubles”...

With the advent of paper money, metal money soon found itself in the position of auxiliary money, small change. And in general - what did they become? Out of habit, we say: “I have so many kopecks of silver in my wallet.” Although, to tell the truth, there is no pure silver in our coins. They have long been made from cheap nickel and aluminum alloys.

What about gold? In Russia in the old days, gold coins were issued in denominations of 5 and 10 rubles; However, gold 15-ruble imperials and semi-imperials in denominations of 7 rubles 50 kopecks were also called. They depicted the profiles of emperors and empresses (hence “imperials”).

People of older generations still remember the “Soviet Chervonets” - a ten-ruble coin that was highly valued on the international market. It contained the Coat of Arms of the RSFSR and the inscription: ‘Workers of all countries, unite!’ On the reverse side there was a picture of a peasant with a basket slung over his shoulder against the backdrop of a factory. Gold coins, of course, were also issued in other countries.

And yet, in the 30s of the 20th century, gold was generally withdrawn from monetary circulation throughout the world... Because paper money is more convenient. However, this does not mean that gold has lost its price, that paper money has defeated it... Gold has not lost its price. It is still mined today. And much more than in ancient times.

Scientists have calculated that humanity has mined about 100 thousand tons of gold over the course of six thousand years. If you divide these tons over six thousand years, it doesn't add up to much. And in the 19th century alone, 11.5 thousand tons were mined. True, the discovery of rich gold deposits in California and Australia helped here.

At the beginning of the 20th century, gold was found in Alaska, and the “gold rush” swept across America. How many enterprising people rushed for success, despite hardships and difficulties! Why do we need gold now if it is not money?

In the Soviet Union, for example, 77% of gold went to industrial needs - for electronics, jewelry, and dentistry. And 23% turned into treasure, into the country’s gold reserves. This stock lies in the form of blocks in the State Bank for the time being until it is needed to purchase goods important for the country. Here gold acts, as before, as money, only world money.

Securities.

Where did they come from - securities? Imagine that somewhere a rich deposit of minerals has been discovered, such as gold, for example. To start developing it, you need money. Where can I get them? And already in ancient times, in such cases, they began to create joint stock companies.

In which country did they first use paper money?

They issued shares - securities for the development of an open field. Securities on which anyone who has invested money in development will begin to receive income (dividends) as soon as the extraction and sale of mineral resources begins. Everyone who purchased shares becomes a shareholder, and his weight increases the more large quantity shares he purchased.

He already has the right not only to dividends, but also to manage the affairs of the joint-stock company. Where can you buy shares? On the exchange. Not only buy, but also sell at one price or another. This means that securities are traded on the stock exchange. Securities also include bonds.

They can be issued by both the state and joint-stock companies when they need to borrow money from the population. A bond is an obligation under which the one who issued the bonds must repay the debt on a due date. Bonds are issued with a fixed percentage of annual income in the form of cash winnings and coupon payments.

The tasks of a modern stock exchange are the same as those of ancient merchants: to disseminate business information, set price levels for goods and securities (and foreign currency), and analyze market supply and demand.

Continuation: How banks were invented.

Before the origin of coins over the centuries, the mission of a means of payment, i.e. money, carried out various items of use: shells, slaves, grain, livestock, and more. During the Bronze Age, metal became the monetary equivalent.

With the development of trade and production, ingots of precious metals and copper began to play a leading role different shapes and weight, having high value with a relatively small mass. In the second millennium BC. In Babylon, merchants, when using ingots or rings made of precious metals, guaranteed their weight and metal content with a stamp.

Around 700 BC In Lydia and the Ionian cities of Asia Minor, coins appeared, which gradually began to replace weighted money. They differed from weighted money in that they were produced by the state itself. The coin turned into money in the form of a convenient piece of metal, for the content of noble metal in which the state vouched for the applied image and inscription. In addition to the economic function, it gave this means of payment and circulation also the function of an information carrier. The emergence of coins became a means of payment for livelihood, and led to the strengthening of the state's key positions in the economy.

For example, in Greece, where money factories were state-owned, life without a state, government regulation and state laws for citizens of the country has already become impossible economic reasons. Coins are a sign minted from gold, silver, copper or other metals and alloys and have a front - obverse, and a reverse - reverse side. On the side, the surface of the coin is edged.

The very first coins appeared in a highly developed culture ancient China in the middle of the second millennium BC. They were made of bronze by casting. In the 7th century BC. The first minted coins appeared in the Mediterranean countries. The production and minting of coins was a relatively simple matter; first, the metal was melted and small round discs were cast, these discs were minted.

In antiquity, the development of coins took place with the Greek slave states, then with Ancient Rome, and reached its peak during the period of greatest expansion of the territory of the Roman Empire. The word “coin” is one of the names of the ancient Roman goddess Juno and at the same time the name of the first Roman mint at the Temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill in Ancient Rome.

When the first coins appeared, counterfeits also appeared. So in Ancient Greece This type of crime became widespread in the 4th century. BC. in Athens, the laws of Solon provided for the production of counterfeit coins the death penalty. Counterfeit coins were an everyday occurrence, the people knew the words carved on the wall of the sanctuary of Apollo in Athens: “ It's better to fake a coin than the truth».

During recent excavations at one of the ancient Viking settlements in England, archaeologists found an ancient Arabic silver coin, which turned out to be not silver at all, but made of copper with a thin silver coating, it was a skillful fake. Considered the main center of counterfeiting during its heyday Ancient Rome was an economically weak Egypt. For the first time, methods and techniques for verifying the authenticity of coins arose. When Anthony arrived in Egypt, his retinue included experienced, as we would now call them, “coin examination specialists.”

The main metals used to make coins for centuries were gold, silver and copper. The state or ruler who minted the money certified both the accuracy of the weight and the fineness of the coin's alloy. In history, you can find at least three ways to counterfeit coins. The first is reducing the weight of the coin, or minting an underweight coin. The second is a decrease in the precious metal content in the coin, or a decrease in the fineness of the coin. Sometimes such methods of counterfeiting are called “damage to coins.” And the third method is the production of “gold” and “silver” coins from base metals. They were only given the appearance of authentic ones; sometimes they were covered with a thin layer of precious metal.

There were techniques for verifying the authenticity of coins. Simply use a knife to cut off a piece of a coin and, based on the cut, it was easy to determine whether it was real or fake. For example, only covered with a layer of precious metal. True, the counterfeiters quickly found a way out of the situation: they themselves made a cut on the counterfeit coin and silvered it. Moreover, we learned to do this a long time ago. In addition to the knife, the coin was checked “tooth”: if the tooth does not take it, it means it is fake, since it was well known that gold and silver are relatively soft metals, and the teeth left a mark on them. The coin was tested for sound and thrown onto a stone; if there was a ringing, clear sound, then the coin was genuine, and if there was a dull sound, it was fake.

The production of counterfeit banknotes, as well as the alteration of genuine ones, caused damage to the state, and counterfeiters were always strictly prosecuted in accordance with the laws. However, even the threat of the most severe punishment, and almost everywhere it was the death penalty, did not stop the counterfeiters.

The temptation to counterfeit coins was also caused by the fact that the coins were initially minted extremely carelessly. Their shape was irregular, the images on the obverse and reverse were unclear. This is explained both by the imperfection of technology at the mints of that time, and by the lack of strict government supervision over coinage and the state of monetary circulation.

Sometimes kings could not resist the temptation to enrich themselves through counterfeiting. English king Henry VI made very original use of the discovery of his court alchemist, who found that if you rub a copper coin with mercury, it is very difficult to distinguish it from a silver one. In order to replenish his treasury, the king without hesitation gave the order to produce such in an unusual way batch of “silver” coins. They were in circulation for a very short time: the deceived subjects were so outraged that they had to stop “minting” these coins.

Gold coins have also been targeted by counterfeiters in the past. Alchemists - learned to create special metal alloys very similar to gold, also drilled holes, filled them with fake “gold”, and collected the drilled part of the coin for income. Manufacturing counterfeit money in the XVII-XVIII centuries. in England it was commonplace. Sometimes even banks could not determine: where are the real ones and where are the fake ones? The reason is that the production of banknotes was carried out so carelessly that they could not be counterfeited. special labor. This was the case until 1844, when a special law in England established a clear procedure for the production of money and introduced strict requirements to their quality.

Minting coins was one of the most important prerogatives of the state. The issue was associated with the name of the new sovereign. The minting of coins was a sign of his rights, power, political successes. For example, in the X-XI centuries. some of the oldest Russian coins were minted with the image ancient Russian prince on the throne and the signatures: “Vladimir is on the table”, “Vladimir, and this is his gold”, “Vladimir, and this is his silver”.

The history of the production and circulation of Russian coins, which goes back ten centuries, can be divided into several periods:

• coins of pre-Mongol Rus';
• payment bullions of a non-coin period;
• period coins feudal fragmentation;
• Russian coins centralized state;
• coins of the imperial period;
• coins of modern mintage.

The first 4 date back to the longest period - from the beginning of Russian coinage at the end of the 10th century. until the completion of the monetary reform of Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century. The time of issue of coins of the fifth category practically coincides with the period of existence of the absolutist state in Russia from the beginning of the 18th century. and until 1917. Coins of the imperial period are regularly minted coins with precise dating, indicating the name of the ruler, denomination and place of minting.

The most early mention about counterfeiters in Rus' can be found in one of the Novgorod chronicles. In 1447, a certain “livets and weights” (foundry worker and weigher of precious metals) Fyodor Zherebets made his living by making hryvnias from inferior metal. In Rus', as elsewhere, counterfeiting was punishable, but nevertheless it did not stop.

By decision of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, copper coins with the nominal value of silver coins were issued into circulation in 1655. And after some time it was discovered that some money masters, who had previously lived poorly, quickly became rich with copper money. The reason for this became clear when illegally minted coins and the coins themselves were confiscated from them. Counterfeiting of coins in Russia in the 17th century. has turned into a real disaster. A huge amount of counterfeit copper money appeared. In addition, Russia also learned how to make “silver” coins by rubbing them with mercury. Such “coins” were not uncommon, and they were called “portutenes”. During the same period, “silver” coins appeared, made by coating copper blanks with tin (tinning).

Beginning of the 18th century known for the radical disruption of the monetary economy that had developed in Russia in the previous era. Reform of Peter 1 in 1698-1717 brought the Russian monetary system to the level of developed European countries. This reform gave the country convenient means of payment in the form of silver and copper coins, the set of denominations of which was based on decimal system. Hand minting of coins, which was the basis of Russian coin production, was replaced by machine minting. The copper coin, discredited by the previous reform of 1654-1663, became established in the country’s internal monetary circulation. A unified monetary system was established throughout Russia.

The measures taken by the government were aimed at further adapting the monetary system to the needs of the state. Under the successors of Peter I, the financial economy of Russia was in a very disrepair. State treasury was burdened by the extravagance of the empresses who succeeded them on the throne, as well as by the enormous costs associated with waging wars. These circumstances could not but affect the state of the state budget, which was already chronically deficit. The main actions of the government in the field of monetary circulation were the opportunistic changes in the weight norm of coins and the fineness of the alloy of coins made of precious metals, as well as an increase in the volume of coinage. Thus, in the 18 years that have passed since the first coins of a new type appeared in Russia, introduced by the reform of Peter I, a coin foot of a copper coin, which initially equaled 12.8 rubles. from a pound of copper, increased three times and by 1718 reached 40 rubles. from a pood (at a copper price of about 8 rubles per pood). As a result, the treasury was significantly replenished with additional profits, but extremely undesirable phenomena arose in the country's monetary economy. First of all, the simultaneous circulation of copper coins, minted at different weight rates, led to the disappearance from circulation of full-weight copper coins, as well as silver and gold, which the population kept, and the treasury began to receive state taxes on lightweight copper coins. In addition, the market turned out to be flooded with counterfeit copper coins, the fabrication of which, after the introduction of the 40-ruble coin stack, became extremely profitable and was carried out not only within the country, but also abroad.

The first half of the 18th century was characterized by a sharp increase in the minting of copper coins for fiscal purposes. Having become the main means of circulation and payment, depreciated copper coins entered the treasury in the form of taxes and other payments. This reduced the overall effect of their minting and increased the financial difficulties of the government. For this reason, the ruling circles of Russia were forced to temporarily abandon further abuse of the minting of copper coins and a decrease in the content of pure metal in silver and gold coins. The government needed new sources of income, and primarily through the release of new money into circulation. The issue of paper banknotes carried out in Russia in the 60s of the 18th century became such a source. From this time on, the coin in Russia began to circulate in parallel with paper banknotes - banknotes. Coins, primarily copper, gradually turned into a medium of exchange for banknotes.

The constant increase in the number of banknotes in circulation, the issue of which was used by the government as a source of covering its expenses, inevitably led to a fall in the rate of banknotes in relation to gold and silver coins. In this regard, many owners of banknotes sought to exchange them for hard currency. Since by the end of the 80s of the XVIII century. to carry out exchange operations, the State Assignation Bank no longer had required quantity coins, the government was forced to suspend exchange, without issuing a special government act, which led to the disappearance from circulation of gold and silver coins, which had become a means of accumulation.

The Manifesto of June 20, 1810 established universal legal accounting monetary unit for all payments in the country, a ruble with a pure silver content of 4 spools 21 shares (18 g), which became the basis of the Russian monetary system in the 19th century. All previously issued silver and gold coins remained in circulation. Their value was expressed in relation to the new silver ruble. Somewhat later, the manifesto of August 29, 1810 finally determined the purpose of the copper coin, which was recognized as a change. The country announced the introduction of a system of open minting of silver and gold coins: anyone could bring metal in bullion to the Mint to make coins from it, no fee was charged for this. It was assumed that all these measures would serve to create a new monetary system in Russia, based on silver monometallism with the circulation of banknotes backed mainly by silver. However, after Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, when the war required enormous material and monetary costs, the government was unable to complete the reform. Banknotes were recognized as legal tender, obligatory for circulation throughout the empire. All calculations and payments were to be made primarily in banknotes. The ratio between paper and metal money was set by private individuals, not by the government. In 1815, the exchange rate of the assignat ruble fell to 20 kopecks. silver

Changes to the Russian monetary system based on the silver ruble were made in 1839-1843. During this reform, depreciated banknotes were gradually replaced by state banknotes, which were subject to equivalent exchange for silver. Copper money again acquired the role of a medium of exchange for the silver ruble. The designation of the denomination of copper coins of the 1839 sample contains an indication that these coins are equivalent to silver ones, for example: “2 kopecks in silver.” The main means of payment was the silver ruble. State banknotes were assigned the role of only an auxiliary banknote. They were to be accepted at a constant and unchanging rate. This rate was 3 rubles. 50 kopecks banknotes for a silver ruble.

On July 1, 1839, a decree was published “On the establishment of the Silver Coin Deposit Office at the State Commercial Bank" The depository office accepted deposits in silver coins for storage and issued in return deposit tickets for the corresponding amounts. Deposit cash tickets were declared legal tender with the right to circulate throughout the country on a par with silver coins. With the help of deposit notes, 100% backed by silver and exchangeable for it, the government sought to revive the people's confidence in paper banknotes. The government was not able to use the issue of deposit notes to increase revenues of the state treasury, which required different principles of issue. A gradual transition to them was made in the process of issuing a new type of banknotes - the so-called credit notes, only partially covered with metal. Tickets were freely exchanged for specie and circulated on a par with silver coins.

The introduction of a system of silver coins with the circulation of paper banknotes, 1/6 covered with metal, at the first moment contributed to the strengthening of the monetary system in Russia. However, in 1853 it began Crimean War, which ended in a severe military defeat for Russia and the depletion of its finances. The issue of temporary issues of state bank notes was the main source of financing for military expenditures and covering the state budget deficit for the Russian government. This led to a fall in their exchange rate and caused serious difficulties with the exchange of banknotes for silver and gold. At the beginning of 1854, the government was forced to stop the free exchange of banknotes for gold. Exchange for silver was carried out intermittently. In 1858 it ceased, since the exchange fund could not provide specie for everyone. In search of a way out of this situation, the government, since 1860, has been increasing the production of small change silver coins by reducing the content of pure silver in it by 15%: if, starting from 1764, the silver ruble in a small change coin contained 18 g of pure silver, now this content has decreased to 15.3 g. A repeated reduction in the content of pure silver in small change coins (to 9 g in a ruble) was carried out for a similar purpose in 1867. At the same time, the price of a copper coin was increased from 32 to 50 rubles. from the pud. Monetary circulation was clearly inflationary in nature.

IN late XIX V. For the stable development of the economy in Russia, preparations began for monetary reform, the goal of which was to replace the inflationary circulation of irredeemable paper banknotes with a system of gold monometallism with banknote circulation, the transition to which has already been made by many developed capitalist countries. The government began monetary reform and took a number of measures to gradually introduce gold coins into monetary circulation, while trying to ensure a certain ratio between the credit and gold rubles. In fact, gold coins participated in monetary circulation. However, the country's monetary unit was still formally the silver ruble, which limited the scope of operation of the gold coin. The first stage of the reform was the resolution in 1895 of transactions with gold. In such transactions, payment was made either in gold coin or in notes of credit at the rate of gold on the day of payment; on May 24, 1895, the institutions of the State Bank were authorized to buy and sell gold coin at the rate. In fact, this meant the establishment of the exchange of credit notes for gold. On January 3, 1897, it was established that 1 rub. gold was equal to 1 ruble. 50 kopecks credit tickets. Thus, the transition to the system of gold monometallism, which was legally established on January 3, 1897, was finally prepared.

In November 1897, unlimited exchange of banknotes for gold was introduced, and they were given the status of legal tender on a par with gold coin. The basis of the monetary system Russian Empire became the gold ruble, which contained 17,424 shares of pure gold. In connection with the introduction of the gold monometallism system, the silver coin was turned into an auxiliary means of payment.

Naturally, silver and gold coins in circulation were constantly the object of interest for counterfeiters. Of course, the authorities took decisive steps to prevent counterfeiting of banknotes. For example, when drawing up new programs for issuing coins, officials of the Ministry of Finance literally from the very first steps began to think about their protection. Thus, in the note of the Minister of Finance, dated February 1, 1867, “On the release into public circulation of a new small change silver and copper coin” we read: “ To make counterfeiting more difficult, it is necessary to create new, more beautiful designs, adopting, among other improvements, two types of letters for the inscriptions on the coin: convex and depressed. These letters require different ways preparation, and therefore great skill will be needed to make false stamps" It should be noted that, in addition to great skill, the production of depressed and raised inscriptions also requires complex technical devices, including powerful pressing equipment, which, of course, the counterfeiters did not have.

The system of gold monometallism with the circulation of credit notes existed in Russia until 1914. From the very first days after Russia joined the First world war The government began to use the issue of banknotes to cover the state budget deficit, and the law of July 27, 1914 eliminated the exchange of banknotes for gold. With the development of the inflationary process, the process of the disappearance of specie from circulation began. With the cessation of the exchange of credit notes for gold, the population began to hoard gold and then silver coins. Gold, silver, and subsequently copper coins completely disappeared from circulation and ended up in the hands of the population and in the form of treasures.

After a long break, the coin returned to monetary circulation already in Soviet time. At the final stage of the monetary reform of 1922-1924. Previously prepared silver coins in denominations of 10, 15, 20, 50 kopecks were put into circulation. and 1 rub. and copper coins of 1, 2, 3 and 5 kopecks. Thus, the first coin program of the USSR Government was implemented. However, at the end of the 20s, it was finally recognized that minting coins from gold, silver and copper “eats” a huge amount of expensive and scarce metals. This was understood even in pre-revolutionary Russia. In 1910-1911 The Ministry of Finance, together with the mint, has developed a program to replace expensive silver in small change coins with nickel alloys, which have been used since the mid-19th century. successfully used in coinage by some European countries. In the future, it was planned to mint bronze coins. In 1911, test nickel coins were produced, but the coin reform was not completed: the war and then the revolution interfered. It was implemented already during the Soviet period.

In the second half of the 20s, the minting of copper and silver coins was still ongoing, the choice of material for new coins had already been made: bronze and copper-nickel alloy. In 1930, a trial minting of copper-nickel coins was made in denominations from 10 to 20 kopecks , and the Leningrad Mint began their mass production at the end of 1931. In those years, the range of materials from which Russian coins are still made was determined.