Coins of the reign of Nicholas II. Military history, weapons, old and military maps. Accounts in foreign banks

How much money did the royal family have? Estimates vary: from such that the Romanovs were richest people of their time to such an extent that they had to economize. In any case, I wonder where the royal family’s money went after the revolution.

The richest saint

In 2012, the American portal Celebrity Net Worth compiled a ranking of the twenty-five richest people of the millennium. In this ranking, Nicholas II was in fifth place in general list. Celebrity Net Worth estimated his fortune at $300 billion (in modern money terms). Since the royal family was canonized, Nicholas II is listed in the ranking as “the richest saint.”
Let’s make a reservation right away: the American portal does not provide any documents confirming the capital of Nicholas II of 900 million dollars (before recalculation). So let's check the numbers ourselves.

Searching for incriminating evidence

After the February Revolution, one of the first tasks of the Provisional Government was to discredit the royal family. It was necessary to tell the people about how free and luxurious the life of the tsar and his family was, what fabulous capital lay in their foreign accounts.

The first head of the Provisional Government, Prince Georgy Lvov, took up the matter. The majority of Cabinet officials were loyal to the new government, so they didn’t have to search for long. In 1920, during interrogation in the case of the execution of the royal family, which was conducted by the investigator for especially important cases at the Omsk District Court Nikolai Sokolov, Prince Lvov recalled: “The issue of funds belonging to the Royal Family was also resolved. The family, of course, had to live on their own personal funds. The government had to bear only those expenses that were caused by its own activities addressed to the Family. Their personal funds were found out. They turned out to be small.

In one of the foreign banks, counting all the Family’s funds, there were 14 million rubles. They had nothing else."

In the book by historian Igor Zimin “Tsar’s Money. Income and expenses of the Romanov family” the following breakdown is given: On May 1, 1917, the royal family had: in interest-bearing securities - 12,110,600 rubles; on current accounts - 358,128 rubles 27 kopecks, in cash - 3083 rubles. 42 kopecks. Total amount: 12,471,811 rubles 69 kopecks. At the dollar exchange rate of that time (1/11) - 1.13 million dollars.

Anonymous reports

In August 1917, a book by an anonymous author, “The Fall of the Romanovs,” was published in Petrograd. The identity of the anonymous person has not been established, but it is obvious that he was close to the commissioner of the Provisional Government Golovin, who was responsible for clarifying information about the capital of the royal family.

This book contains the following figures for the personal funds of the august family: Nicholas II - 908,000 rubles; Alexandra Fedorovna – 1,006,400 rubles; Tsesarevich - 1,425,700 rubles; Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna – 3,185,500 rubles: Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna – 2,118,500 rubles; Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna - 1,854,430 rubles; Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna – 1,612,500 rubles. Total: 12,111,030 rubles.

As you can see, the royal family did not have any millions of dollars according to these calculations, although the author of “The Fall of the Romanovs” also wrote about mysterious accounts in foreign banks. What are these bills?

Accounts in foreign banks

Did the royal family have accounts in foreign banks? It is better to look for the answer to this question in the works of researchers, and not on American sites with dubious data sources.

The most serious study on this topic was carried out by the British historian and financier City William Clark, author of the bestseller “The Lost Treasures of the Kings.”

He found out that the family of Alexander III kept large sums in the Bank of England. Nikolai Alexandrovich, who ascended the throne in 1894, decided to close foreign accounts for an obvious reason: the country at that time was forced to resort to foreign borrowing, which resulted in a rather absurd situation: the tsar gave money to the Russian Empire at a substantial interest rate. At that time, closing an account and transferring funds was not an easy task, so the process took as long as six years.

Historian Oleg Budnitsky, who was searching for information about the tsar’s accounts in foreign banks, found a folder in one of the English archives with the telling title “On the foreign properties of the late emperor.” It contained stories on this topic from people who were directly related to the finances of the Russian Empire.

Prince Sergei Gagarin, who worked in the Ministry of the Court, said: “During the unrest in Russia in 1905-1906, by order of the Minister of the Imperial Court, sums belonging to the august children of the Sovereign Emperor were transferred abroad in the amount of, it seems, about 4-4.5 million rubles These funds were formed by accumulating allocations allocated, according to the basic laws, for the maintenance of the children of the reigning emperor. This money was deposited in Mendelssohn’s banking house in Berlin.”

Gagarin, therefore, directly says that in 1905 Nicholas II transferred funds intended for children abroad.

One of the managers of Russian emigration funds, attache to the USA Uget, also wrote about the accounts in Mendelssohn’s German bank: “As far as I know, only the Mendelssohns in Berlin have small deposits Russian interest-bearing papers made by the empress in the name of each of her children. If I’m not mistaken, the nominal amount of each deposit was 250,000 rubles.”

"Anastasia" and the commission

The question of the foreign accounts of Nicholas II was forced to be raised already in the 20s, in connection with the appearance in Germany of the first “Anastasia”, who started talking about money allegedly owed to her.

The Russian emigration was excited by this “resurrection.” There were many former officials and associates of the august family in Europe. In the end, it was decided to convene a commission and once and for all come to an agreement on a sensitive issue.

Such a commission was assembled on February 26, 1929. Her verdict was unequivocal: “The Emperor and his august family did not have any property abroad, except for the small capital of the Emperor’s daughters, about one million marks each, in the Mendelssohn Bank in Berlin.”

Former adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Boris Nolde emphasized that in connection with the First World War, “these sums were sequestered and then, unclaimed, were probably subject to all the consequences of inflation and turned into nothing.”

In March 1930, the minutes of this meeting were published in the Paris newspaper Renaissance.

Heirs

In 1934, the court of the Central District of Berlin also recognized the heirs of the royal money. They were the Grand Duchesses Ksenia and Olga, Countess Brasova, and relatives of the late princesses along the line of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

As Boris Nolde said, inflation has devalued deposits. The court issued official documents for the right of inheritance only four years after the determination of the heirs, in 1938. The amount turned out to be truly ridiculous: less than 25 thousand pounds. Divided among all the heirs, these funds represented almost nothing. Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna did not even take the share due to her.

Many gold coins of Nicholas 2 are now rare and very expensive. Before the reign of the last of the rulers of the Russian Empire, Nicholas 2, gold coins of 10-ruble denominations had a mass of 12.9 g. However, after the monetary reform carried out by the last emperor, the mass of the gold ten was reduced to 8.6 g. Reducing the mass of coins made of precious metals in the process of monetary reforms was the norm for those times. Using this method, it was possible to obtain additional funds into the state treasury.

During the reign of Nicholas 2, there was an intention to change the names of the empire's currency. It was planned to call the currency “Rus” instead of the ruble. In the process of preparing the monetary reform, trial 5,10, 15 russ were produced. 5 sets were minted, each containing 5 coins. But the king did not approve the new currency. And apart from the trial sets, nothing else was minted.

Many novice collectors call ordinary Nikolaev ten-ruble notes imperials. But the real imperial has the corresponding inscription “Imperial”.
These imperials were produced for only 3 years, 1895-1987. 125 copies were minted annually. Currently, such coins are offered at auction very rarely. Currently, a gold imperial has a value of about $50,000. But sometimes the price can go up to $250,000, depending on the condition of the coin.

Also, for 3 years, semi-imperials were produced, the circulation of which was much smaller. They were minted at a rate of only 36 pieces per year. Therefore, they are found much less often in collections, but their price is comparable to imperials.

In those years when Nicholas 2 reigned, in 1897, gold money, very unusual for the Russian Empire, was also issued for circulation. These were gold coins in denominations of 15 and 7 rubles. 50 k. The weight of the 15-ruble coin was the same as that of the 10-ruble coin called “Alexandrovskaya”
The coin with a face value of 15 rubles had a circulation of 12 million pieces, and 7.5 rubles had a circulation of 17 million pieces. There are currently quite a lot of such coins. Therefore, their price is low. So 15 rubles can cost about $400, and 7.5 rubles can cost about $300.

One of the rare coins minted under Nicholas 2 is 10 rubles issued in 1906. Their official circulation consisted of 10 pieces. This coin is very rare and expensive. On average up to $20,000. However, there was a case when such a coin was sold for $200,000.

Rare and very interesting are the gift coins of 25 rubles (2.5 imperials), which were minted in 1896 and then in 1908. Such coins were issued to replenish the gift fund of Emperor Nicholas 2. Thus, 25 rubles were minted in 1896, for the coronation of the emperor. In 1908, 25-ruble notes were minted for the 40th anniversary of the Tsar. These coins had a mass of 32.26 g; their value currently can range from $120 to $170 thousand.

It is also worth mentioning a very unusual coin from the reign of Nicholas 2 - worth 37 rubles. 50 k (100 francs). They were released in 1902 in this way, the emperor wanted to commemorate the union of France and Russia. There is another version; this coin was originally planned to be used in the casino system. Today, this coin is very rare and very expensive; its price can vary from 40 to 150 thousand $.

The last gold coin with a face value of 10 rubles, or the royal gold chervonets of Nicholas 2, was minted in 1911. This last year of minting gold coins presented a huge number of secrets and mysteries to numismatists. Gold coins issued in 1911 can still be found in large quantities, but at the same time, the circulation of these coins, which appears in the documents, was not large. Ultimately, for collectors who purchase these coins, they cost the cost of gold that was spent on issuing such a coin.

The whole point is that the gold chervonets of Nicholas 2, which was minted in 1911, was counterfeited in large quantities. In addition to fakes, there are also many remakes. Since this coin is not rare and expensive, no significant research has been carried out on the topic of fakes and remakes. Usually only cases of counterfeiting of rare and very expensive coins are thoroughly investigated.
It is believed that someone took the stamps and obverse and reverse of the last gold piece from the mint. However, who exactly and when is not known exactly, but there are several versions.
§ The stamp was used by the USSR government in 1925-1927. At this time, Western countries refused to accept Soviet goods in trade transactions. banknotes. Then a decision was made and the gold chervonets of Nicholas 2 were minted in the amount of 2 million copies.
§ According to the second version, these stamps came to Admiral Kolchak and he minted these coins en masse.
§ There is also a suspicion that the stamps were taken abroad. Or they made new stamps and minted gold royal tens in the 20s. But in this case, these were no longer remakes, but real fakes.
§ There is also a version that someone uses stamps of the 1911 model to make gold ten-ruble notes for Nicholas 2 in our time. After all, minting such coins is very profitable, especially from illegally mined gold.
Currently, the price of gold royal chervonets, which were issued in 1911, can range from $600 to $800. But it often happens that they are purchased for smaller amounts or at a higher price. As a rule, the price of such coins depends on their condition.

The last Emperor Nicholas 2 left behind a huge numismatic heritage. His money is distinguished by its huge circulation and relatively short term appeals. This has led to the fact that today you can find high-quality copies for any of the issued editions. In this article we will talk about the gold coins of Nicholas 2. Such money was minted in only four denominations: 5 rubles, 7.5 rubles, 10 rubles and 15 rubles. The most popular were the 5-ruble coins of Nicholas II, followed by 10-ruble bills with a slight lag. You will learn more about the cost and other features of gold money from the catalogue, and for connoisseurs of special items, we will take a detailed look at the rarest and most valuable gold items.

Catalog of gold coins of Nicholas 2

The table shows all the gold coins minted under Emperor Nicholas 2. You can find out how much these copies cost from the catalog below.

Varieties of gold coins of Nicholas 2

5 rubles 1897

Feature: smooth side part. The coin is made of 900 standard metal, the weight of the disc is 4.3 grams, the diameter is 18.5 millimeters.

On the front there is a profile of Emperor Nicholas II and an inscription along the edge. On the reverse side, in the center, there is the state coat of arms (shifted to the upper edge), in the lower part, repeating the bend of the edging, the parity and year of production are located.

15 rubles 1897

The difference is that the last two letters of the “SS” inscription extend beyond the edge of the neck trim. The metal purity is 900, the weight of the coin is 12.9 grams, and the weight of pure gold is 11.6 grams. The disc size is 24.6 millimeters, text is printed on the side.

The obverse is a portrait of the emperor and the text, the reverse is the country's coat of arms, parity and date of minting. The price of the coin, depending on its condition, is from 26,500 to 100 thousand rubles.

15 rubles 1897

Another distinctive batch of 15-ruble notes. The peculiarity of this specimen is the three protruding letters beyond the edge of the neck. The main characteristics are identical to the previous copy: weight - 12.9 grams, size 24.6 grams, reverse - identical, obverse - identical (except for the location of the letters). Both varieties were released with a total circulation of 11.9 million copies. The cost of this variety ranges from 21 to 99 thousand rubles.

5 rubles 1898

Feature - the sides of the coin are rotated 180 degrees relative to each other. Weight – 4.3 grams, size 18.5 millimeters, edge of the coin – patterned, letters AG.

The front part is a portrait of Nicholas 2, the text is placed along the edge. Reverse – small coat of arms, parity and year of production. The minimum price is 11 thousand rubles, and the most expensive copy will cost the collector 16 thousand.

5 rubles 1898

Difference – smooth edge. Metal purity – 900, weight 4.3 grams, size – 18.5 mm. On the front side of the 5-ruble note there is a profile of the emperor, looking to the left, surrounded by a ring of inscriptions that is not closed at the top and bottom.

On the reverse side there is a small coat of arms in the center, and below is the denomination and year of minting. The cost of one coin in very good condition is 8,500 rubles.

5 rubles 1899

This sample is rare due to its smooth edge that differs from other samples.

The weight of each sample is 4.3 grams, and the pure metal is 3.87 grams, the size is 18.5 millimeters. The price of this coin starts at 9,200 rubles per copy.

10 rubles 1909

The peculiarity of this sample is the letters EB. The metal purity is 900, each piece weighs 8.6 grams, diameter is 22.5 millimeters, there is text on the side. The factory minted money in quality for circulation and improved quality. The obverse is a portrait of the sovereign, and the text is located along the edge. On the reverse, in the very center, there is a small coat of arms of the state, directly below it lies the denomination and year of issue. The price of a copy for circulation is from 22,500 to 118,550 rubles; for a sample of improved quality you will have to pay 598 thousand rubles.

Both in Soviet times and now they write a lot about the “rottenness” and “bloodiness” of the autocracy, a lot. It was so backward and bloody that it was just a nightmare! And no one cares that under the Bolsheviks, 150 times more Russians were executed than under the last tsar. Well, Nicholas II, indeed, was not an ideal ruler and made many mistakes, but let's look at some facts. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire achieved truly outstanding success in its development. Industry and Agriculture, and only under Nicholas II the Russian ruble was recognized by the whole world as hard currency. You can scour the Internet and libraries, spend many hours, but you still won’t find another historical period when Russian ruble freely and so willingly received abroad.

Nicholas II and General Brusilov in 1915

Prices under the last Emperor Nicholas II:
A loaf of fresh rye bread (450 grams) – 2-4 kopecks,
Old harvest potatoes (1 kg) - 5 kopecks,
Rye flour (1 kg) - 6 kopecks,
Bucket of tomatoes - 8 kopecks,
Granulated sugar (1 kg) – 20-25 kopecks,
Fresh milk (1 liter) – 5-10 kopecks,
Egg (ten) - 10-25 kopecks,
Pork meat (1 kg) – 25-30 kopecks,
Sturgeon (1kg) – 80 kopecks.

The average worker's salary in Russia under the Tsar was 37.5 rubles. Let's multiply this amount by 1282.29 (the ratio of the exchange rate of the Tsar's ruble to the modern one) and get an amount of 48,085 thousand rubles in modern terms. During the monetary reform, which was carried out by the government of Nicholas II in 1897-1899 under the leadership of S. Witte, the gold ruble was introduced into circulation. It contained about 0.77 grams of pure gold. At the beginning of the 20th century, the royal gold ruble was very significant monetary unit on the world market. If we compare the ratios of currencies of that time, the tsarist ruble contained approximately twice as much gold as the mark and franc, was comparable to the English pound, and was only twice “lighter” in relation to the American dollar. And they accepted the autocratic ruble throughout Europe with great joy. Even Russian banknotes could be exchanged without any problems in any bank in Berlin, Vienna, Rome or Paris, and as for “Ryzhikov” (gold Nikolaev coins of 5 and 10 rubles), they were taken in small shops, and even without exchange for local money , and even 2-3 times higher than the official exchange rate - 1 gold ruble at the beginning of the 20th century. was equal to 2.667 French. francs

The same famous royal gold chervonets, colloquially “saffron milk cap”

The basis of the fortress financial system The Russian Empire under Nicholas II became:
1. Increase in gold mining in the Urals and Siberia. The record figure was reached in 1914 - 66,521.7 kg;
2. A sharp increase in exports - agricultural products (grain, oil, meat, honey, dairy products, etc.); petroleum products (kerosene and lubricating oils); etc.
3. The introduction of a state monopoly on vodka and tobacco, and a significant increase in prices and taxes (excise taxes) on them. By 1914, the excise tax on vodka amounted to 1 billion gold. rub. from the entire state budget of the empire of 3.5 billion;
4. Rapid pace of industrialization - between 1890 and 1913. Russian industry quadrupled its productivity. Its income not only almost equaled the income received from agriculture, but goods covered almost 4/5 of the domestic demand for manufactured goods. Over the last four years before the First World War, the number of newly founded joint-stock companies increased by 132%, and the capital invested in them almost quadrupled. In 1900 Russia ranked 4th in the world in terms of global industrial production, its share was 9%. High rates of development Russian economy were comparable only with the pace of development of the United States. In 1913, one of the largest economists in the world, Edmond Théry, on instructions from the French government, studied the state of the Russian economy and concluded: “If the affairs of European nations from 1912 to 1950 go the same way as they went from 1900 to 1912, Russia by the middle of this century will dominate Europe, both politically, economically and financially».
Over the period 1900-1913, state income doubled (from 1,736,700,000 to 3,431,200,000 rubles) while expenses increased only 1.8 times, which made it possible to achieve a sustainable budget surplus. At the beginning of the First World War, the state gold reserves of the Russian Empire were the largest in the world. And best of all, the effectiveness of the Russian government and the growth of the well-being of the people was shown by the rapid increase in population: from 1897 to 1914, that is, in just 17 years, the growth amounted to 50.5 million people! If such population growth rates continued, then by 2000. approximately 425 million people would live in Russia.

In 1917, the ruble was cursed... The liberals who overthrew the tsar were replaced by the Bolsheviks, the Bolsheviks reformed into communists, then the liberals came again, but none of them were able to make the ruble respected in the world and a freely convertible currency. Maybe we can do some magic - call the tsarist finance ministers Witte and Kokovtsov from the other world, ask them how to make the ruble a stable and respected currency in the world? Somehow they managed without oil and gas income... And a penny under the tsars was Money!

Dear people, Professionals with a capital P:
Sergei Yulievich Witte - from 1892 to 1903. Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire

Vladimir Nikolaevich Kokovtsov - from 1904 to 1914. Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire

Sources:
What could you buy with a penny under the Tsar?

In the design of coins of the new reign, changes occur only in the part relating to the personality of the monarch. On the obverse of the silver ruble, 50 and 25 kopecks there is a portrait of Nicholas II by Vasyutinsky, but now it faces left (west). The reverse retains the same coat of arms, right down to the AG sign under the horse's hind leg.

Rubles were minted annually from 1895 to 1915. Half a ruble - from 1895 to 1914, except for 1905. Half a half - in 1895, 1896, 1998, 1900 and 1901. Twenty-kopeck coins - from 1901 to 1917. Fifteen-kopeck coins - from 1896 to 1917, except 1910. Five-kopeck coins - from 1897 to 1915, except 1907.

In 1897, the government implemented the transition to the gold standard. The St. Petersburg Mint was overloaded with the production of gold coins. Therefore, some of the bank coins had to be minted at the Paris and Brussels mints. The stamps and stamps for them were made in St. Petersburg, so it is possible to determine which yard minted the coin only by the edge. The sign of Paris is one star, Brussels is two. In three years, from 1896 to 1898 inclusive, three yards produced bank silver coins worth a huge amount of about one hundred and forty million rubles (more than in the entire previous half century).

Over the twenty-year period of issue of Nicholas II rubles, five different portrait forms can be traced. Of these, the more convex image of 1912-13 stands out significantly. The shape of the eagle does not change until 1915. After the role of a high-grade silver coin was reduced to the level of change, the fifty-kopeck piece became very easy to handle. Its mass release follows in the same years 1896 - 97, then repeated in 1899 and 1912 - 13. Poltinas have five different portrait shapes. The flatter image of 1914 stands out significantly. The coins of the Parisian mintage (1896, 97, 99) have a star-shaped mark on the edge.

The half-fifty note, on the contrary, is losing its role (the billon twenty-kopeck note is too close to it), and after the mass issue of 1896 and the relatively small one of 1900, its production for circulation purposes ceases. Among the half-fifty coins, three portrait forms can be distinguished. Since the coins have a jagged edge, it is difficult to unambiguously identify the Parisian coinage of 1896.

2. Silver coins of Nicholas II

The expensive silver coin was not issued after 1915, and orders for additional minting of ten and fifteen kopeck coins were placed in Osaka, Japan (these coins with the date 1916, unlike the St. Petersburg ones, do not have not only a mint mark, but also the mintmaster’s initials under the eagle) .

10 kopecks.