From Pushkin to Gagarin
The once popular bimetallic commemorative 10-ruble coins are now fading into the background. For some reason, collectors have recently become more interested in commemorative coins made of non-precious metals.
One of the first commemorative coins was 1 ruble, issued by the Central Bank in 1999. The coin is dedicated to the memory of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, and was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of his birth. The obverse of a commemorative coin is no different from the usual ruble. It depicts a double-headed eagle with outstretched wings and the inscriptions “Bank of Russia”, “One Ruble”, the year of issue “1999”. The mint that made it, you can find out by looking at the inscription under the right paw of an eagle.
On the reverse of the memorable ruble is the profile of the poet, written by Pushkin himself in 1829. Under the image is “Alexander Pushkin 1799-1837.” The inscription is made in four lines. The thickness of the coin is 1.5 millimeter, its diameter is 20.5 millimeters, and it weighs 3.25 grams. The material from which the commemorative coin is minted is an alloy of copper and nickel in white. The circulation of the coin was evenly distributed between the St. Petersburg and Moscow mints. The total number of coins issued was 10 million copies.
In 2001, the St. Petersburg Mint issued another commemorative ruble. It was also made of base metal and was dedicated to the decade of the formation of the CIS – the Commonwealth of Independent States. The circulation of the coin was not less, as the characteristics in general repeated the standard coin of 1 ruble.
A year later, the Central Bank of Russia issues an anniversary 2 rubles. Here there is only a space theme, since the production of the coin was timed to the 40th anniversary of manned space flight. By the way, this series includes bimetallic 10-ruble of base metal and silver coins in denominations of 100 rudders and 3 rubles. All coins depict a portrait of Yuri Gagarin in different versions.
The jubilee 2-ruble coin weighs 5.1 grams with a diameter of 23 millimeters. It is also made of an alloy of copper and nickel in white. On the obverse appear the inscriptions “Bank of Russia” and the year of its production – “2001”. On the reverse is the image of the first cosmonaut against the background of a departing asterisk rocket and his painting. In addition, on a coin issued in an edition of 20 million copies, the date is “April 12, 1961”. Both mints participated in its production. And it is this coin that collectors are most interested in in recent years. The fact is that during its manufacture a barque was allowed – on some of them the mint, which minted them, was not indicated. Such coins are considered defective, but that is their value. Today the cost of such a jubilee coin can reach 800-3000 rubles.
Meanwhile, all issued coins, including defective ones, are a means of payment in Russia. True, it is becoming more and more difficult to find them in their turnover every year – the bulk of the jubilee coins have already found their place in private collections.
