I am Peter III, Emperor of the Hexagon of the Goose Kingdom

Chapter 216 Real gold and silver currency, the problem of successive tsars

In the early days of Peter I's reign, the domestic coinage industry was still in the hands of the big treasury office.

In 1711, most of the authority of the Great Treasury Office was transferred to the Senate, but the Great Treasury Office continued to exist and engaged in coin-related businesses until 1727 when it completely ceded its position to the Mining Directorate, which led the mining industry.

In order to manage the Mint, a "Coin Management Office" was established under the General Directorate of Mines, which was later named the "Coin Office".

Since the 18th century, the principle of site selection for the mint is to be as close as possible to the source of raw materials. In 1724, the mint was established in St. Petersburg, and the role of the main domestic port was transferred here from Arkhangelsk.

A mint also began to be formed in Yekaterinburg, not far from the Ural copper mines. At first only round materials were produced there, which were then shipped to Moscow, but after 1735 the Yekaterinburg Mint became fully operational.

In 1724, Peter, who was seriously ill, sent Tatishev to Sweden to learn coinage technology. After returning home, Tatishev failed to see Peter the Great for the last time.

The throne was taken by Peter's wife, Marda Skaulonskaya, also known as Catherine I, and the country was actually managed by the Privy Council headed by Alexander Danilovich Menshikov .

The duke did not feel particularly embarrassed about the country's coinage industry, and solved the problem of insufficient silver in the treasury quite simply. He reduced the proportion of silver in coins.

In 1726, the Petersburg Mint issued a 10-kopeck hryvnia. The content of precious metals in this coin was 25%. In order to make these 3/4 copper coins look like silver coins, the coins were added Added arsenic.

During the time of the stern Anna Ivanovna, these coins amounted to counterfeit money.

Duke Menshikov has another innovation. Although he is not a tsar or a duke, he engraved his surname on the coins.

In the cunning monogram on the back of the Grivennik copper coin issued in 1726, Madame Menshiko artificially incorporated herself in addition to the proper monogram "IE" of the emperor, that is, Empress Catherine. The symbol "M".

However, an innovation that Tatyshev saw abroad was tried at the time of Menshikov.

So-called copper plates were used in Sweden at the time, square coins containing the metal's value, and this coin showed the rulers a way out of the tiresome hunt for the silver needed to make the coins, so they jumped at the opportunity.

In order to issue such coins in Yekaterinburg, Menshikov hastily built a special copper sheet factory.

In 1727, the empress died, and the favorites of Peter I began to have bad luck.The throne was taken by the young Peter II, the son of Crown Prince Alexei who was executed during Peter's reign.

The boy did not forget how Alexander Danilovich tried very hard to interrogate his own father in the prison of the Peter and Paul Fortress, and it was precisely the elders who reminded him of this.

Thus, Menshikov was exiled to the remote village of Berezovo, and Peter II gained a firm foothold on his grandfather's throne.

The new tsar tried to undo many of his grandfather's innovations, for example, moving the capital from Petersburg back to Moscow, but one tradition survived:
That is, the enthronement ceremony he commemorated with the reissue of the gold coin Chervin.

At this time, the profile of the young tsar appeared on the coin, and the back of the coin was the coat of arms of Moscow in the background of the national emblem.

In 1730, the young monarch passed away and reigned for less than three years. The country fell into the era of palace coups, and the power was not inherited through inheritance, but through conspiracy.

The Privy Council, which was then in power in the country, decided to invite Princess Anna of Courland, granddaughter of Alexei Mikhailovich and daughter of the late Tsar Ivan V, to the throne.

Officials hope that this woman, far removed from Russian reality, will also be as non-interfering in their affairs as Catherine I.

But they miscalculated, and the new monarch was quite a determined and strong-willed man.

The first thing she did after assuming the throne was to tear up the so-called "Agreement" with the members of the Privy Council. According to this document, the emperor is only a nominal role.

The new tsar established a secret police with unlimited authority in the country, constantly looking for opponents of imperial power.

In the 18s, Anna Ivanovna commissioned Tatyshev to inspect all mints in the country and study the differences in the weight of coins issued. The results were summarized in "The Minting Industry Needs Improvement" Office Overview".

In this document, it is mentioned that the fineness of metals in silver coins is low, copper coins are not worth enough, a large number of counterfeit coins are flooding the country, and the ratio of gold and silver does not meet European standards.

According to the results of the audit, a numismatic committee was established, of which Tatyshev was also a member.This committee should address issues of great importance to the country:

Confiscate the light copper coins and silk kopecks still kept in the hands of residents from circulation, crack down on counterfeiters, improve the fineness of silver coins, and process small coins into large coins.

In addition, the committee also stipulated the price ratio of gold and silver, close to the European 14:1.

The first gold coin minted after Anna Ivanovna's accession to the throne was the Chervin, which coincided with the coronation ceremony. At this time, a new tradition had formed in the appearance of Russian coins. The obverse of the coin had the portrait of the ruler and the reverse national emblem.

On the gold coin Chervin is a portrait of the victor St. George.

On the gold coins worth 10 rubles and 5 rubles, in addition to the national coat of arms, there are also the coats of arms of Moscow, as well as the coats of arms of the kingdoms of Kazan, Siberia and Astrakhan, the original dominance of the unified silver kopeck Be replaced by a colorful variety of coins.

After 1731, the fineness of silver in coins also began to increase.

In 1740, after the death of Anna Ivanovna, according to her will, the throne was succeeded by Ivan Antonovich, who was only three months old.

At first Ivan Antonovich's regents were the empress' favorite, Duke Ernst Johann von Biron, and later Anna Leopoldovna, mother of the young emperor, with a profile of the child The first silver coins appeared in 1741, and copper-gold ka and porushka were also minted.

The young emperor's reign was not long, and in 1741 he and his regent were overthrown by Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth inherited the determination and courage of Peter I. The new queen began her rule by issuing gold coins worth 10 rubles and 5 rubles. These coins were called "1 Imperial Coin" and "1/2 Imperial Coin" because of these The inscription on the coin is "Russian Empire".

Empress Elizabeth and previous rulers faced the same problems with Russian coins:
That is, there are a large number of copper coins of light weight and not worthy of the currency, and the main problem is that the residents continue to keep silk kopecks in their hands.

Just three years ago, before Queen Elizabeth announced the joint rule of the two emperors, she issued an order prohibiting the circulation of small silver coins, but in the end she had to allow small silver coins to pay various taxes.

Peter tapped on the table, thinking about the disparity between Russia's current currency and the Thaler, as well as various domestic currencies containing real money, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)