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COINS OF THE FORMER REPUBLICS
OF THE U.S.S.R.
For hundreds of years much of Russian commerce was based on these
tiny silver coins called wire money. The coins were struck by
taking a piece of silver wire, cutting it to the proper weight, then
smashing it between a pair of dies by a strong-armed Russian. As
might be expected, the coins are quite crude and are usually struck
partly off-center. The coin shows a horseman, on one side
and legends on the other. We
are pleased to offer you this selection of Russian Wire Money which
covers a vast sweep of Russian History.
Ivan IV, generally known as Ivan the Terrible, was
crowned Grand Prince of Moscow in 1533 at age three. In 1547 he
declared himself Czar of all Russia, and set about centralizing the
Russian government and consolidating his power. The title Czar is based
on the ancient Roman title of Caesar, as he saw Russia as a
continuation of the ancient Roman Empire. He engaged in a
reign of terror against anyone he thought might oppose him, torturing
and executing many thousands of his subjects, including his own son.
Entire cities were and regions were left depopulated.
Thus he earned his title "The Terrible". Though he
expanded the Russian Empire eastward into Siberia, his attempts to
expand into the Baltic met with disastrous defeats. The military,
weakened by Ivan's purges, was defeated by Sweden and Poland. He
apparently had
quite an appetite for women, having gone through seven wives and
keeping some
50 concubines. Having destroyed the economy of the country and
having
killed his most promising heir, Russia fell into "The
Time of Troubles"
after
his death in 1584. We have offer two silver wire coins of
Ivan. Silver wire coins was made by a strong armed-Russian
smashing a piece of cut
silver wire between a set of dies. As might be expected the coins
tend
to be a bit crude and irregular. The silver wire Denga (1/2
Kopeck) shows Ivan with an upraised sword. It was struck in Moscow in
the early years of his reign between 1535 and 1538. The reverse
features his name and title. The silver wire Kopeck was
struck in Novgorod after 1547, when he declared himself
Czar. The coin features Ivan on horseback carrying a lance on one
side and legends on the other. 
Upon
the death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584, his weak
and feebleminded
son Fydor was proclaimed Czar. He took no part in government
affairs.
The government was dominated by Boris Gudinov. Boris was a
commoner,
descended from a Mongolian Russian family. Though illiterate, he
was very good at court intrigues. During the reign of Ivan,
he arranged to have himself named Fydor's guardian and have his sister
marry Fydor. Upon the death of Fydor in 1598, Boris had himself
elected
Czar. Many of the Boyers did not take kindly to what they
considered
a usurper and conspired to undermine his authority. In return
Boris
banished many of the boyer families, instituted an extensive spy system
and ruthlessly persecuted those he suspected of opposing him.
Famine
and epidemics followed. The country soon slipped into a civil
war.
Boris died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1605 and the country completely
collapsed. Various groups and individuals all vied for power,
including
Cossacks, the Boyers, Poland, Sweden, assorted mobs of
adventurers
and three different individuals that claimed to be Dmitry, the son of
Ivan
the Terrible (who actually died some years earlier under mysterious
circumstances). Chaos, famine, riots
and looting were rampant. It was truly a Time of Troubles for
Russia.
Following the death of Ivan the Terrible, Russia fell
into a period
of almost 20 years chaos and civil war. In an effort to bring an end to
the
fighting, in 1613 The Council of All Russia elected the 16 year old
Michael
Fydorovich Romanov as Czar. Though many expected him to fail, the
young Michael slowly
established
his control over Russia and wisely avoided involvement in the wars of
Europe.
By the time of his death in 1645 he had established the powerful
Romanov
dynasty, which was to last over 300 years, until the Russian Revolution
in
1917. 
Like
his father Michael, Alexis became Czar
when he was only 16 years old. Though he was later considered to be a
benevolent and gentle Czar, his reign included a seemingly endless
series of revolts and crises, To cover the increasing government debts
a high tax was placed on salt and a government monopoly on tobacco was
implemented. This caused
widespread riots so the salt tax was soon repealed. Next the
government
tried to debase the coinage. This caused another rebellion.
Attempts
at ceremonial reforms in the Russian Church caused further
rebellions. The issues in dispute included how many fingers
should be used when making the sign of the cross, how to spell the name
of Jesus, and the proper direction for religious processions.
Thousands of Old Believers, burned themselves to death in their
churches rather than accept the reforms. 
Peter the Great, the younger son of Alexis
ruled
Russia from 1689 to 1725. He was a great reformer, modernizing Russia
and
expanding its Navy, frontiers and prestige. One of his reforms
was
to abolish the wire coinage in favor of machine struck coins that were
used
in much of Europe. Thus he brought an end to this long series of
crude
silver coins. 
U.S.S.R. COIN
SET
ARMENIA HONORED ON FINAL
USSR COMMEMORATIVE COIN
This 1991 5 Ruble was one of
the last commemorative coins issued by the Soviet Union. It
commemorates a statue dedicated to a hero of Armenian nationalism. It
was intended to honor Armenia as part of the Soviet Union.
Ironically, by the end of the year the Soviet Union had collapsed and
Armenia had re-emerged as an independent nation.. The coin pictures the
David Sasunski monument (also known as David of Sasun, David of
Sassoun, Sasuntzi Davith and Sasuntsi Davit ) located in front of the
main train station in Yerevan, Armenia. David is the hero of an
ancient epic poem in which he defends his country against foreign
invaders. The monument was completed in 1959. The reverse of the
coin features the famous “hammer and sickle covering the earth” arms of
the Soviet Union with CCCP (USSR) underneath. The coin is 35mm in
diameter and is struck in copper-nickel with a lettered edge.
Item
RU-TOWN02 2002 SET OF 3 RUSSIAN HISTORIC TOWNS 10
RUBLES, UNC. $10.00
COINS OF THE FORMER REPUBLICS
OF THE U.S.S.R.
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NOTE: All pictures are of a typical item taken from
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receive may not look exactly the same as the picture, however it will
be as described.
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