Amongst a total of eight new releases by the Bank of Russia this week are two silver coins that celebrate the incredibly rich and storied Russian history and culture., by depicting national treasures from that nation's past.
Both coins feature artifacts that are currently being curated by the The Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.
Russian 2016 3 Rouble Silver Coin for The Cap of Monomach
The first coin is a 1oz sterling silver 3 Rouble coin depicting the Cap of Monomach. The 39mm coin is struck from .925 Fineness silver and has a limited mintage of 3000 pieces.
The Cap of Monomach
The Cap of Monomach, sometimes also referred to as the Golden Cap, is symbol-crown of the Russian Grand Princes and Tsars stemming from the early 14th century. It is the oldest of the crowns currently being exhibited at the Kremlin Armoury Museum.
Russian 2016 3 Rouble Silver Coin for The Cap of Monomach Obverse
The obverse of the coin depicts the exquisitely detailed double-headed eagle of the Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation at the centre of the coin. Inscribed Cyrillic text in a semi-circle above the Coat of Arms is the text : “РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ” which translates as “RUSSIAN FEDERATION”. Below the Eagle's tail are the words : “БАНК РОССИИ” and “3 РУБЛЯ”, which indicated the coins was issued by the “BANK OF RUSSIA” and the denomination of “3 ROUBLES”. The year of issue, 2016, appears at the bottom. To the left of the coin is the inscription “Ag925” and to the right “31.1”. This indicates the coin to be struck from sterling silver(.925 Fineness Silver) and the weight of 31.1grams(1oz). The mintmark of the Mint of Saint Petersburg can be seen below the weight indication to the Right.
The reverse depicts the golden crown replete with inlaid jewels and sable trim. The legend is inscribed in Cyrillic as : “ОРУЖЕЙНАЯ” (ARMOURY) above, and “ПАЛАТА” (CHAMBER) below.
Russian 2016 25 Rouble Silver Coin for SIlver Double Throne Obverse
The other coin is a massive 25 Roubles 5oz sterling silver commemorative proof coin. The coin measures 60mm(2.36 inch) and tips the scales at 155.5gram. The obverse design is the same as the 3 Rouble coin except for the denomination changing to 25 Roubles and the weight indicating 155.5 for the 5oz coin.
Russian 2016 25 Rouble Silver Coin for SIlver Double Throne
The subject of the reverse design is an interesting part of Russian history, and depicts the silver double throne of Ivan Alekseyevich and Peter Alekseyevich. After the death of Tsar Theodore III in 1682, his 15 year old brother Ivan inherited the crown. However, Ivan was considered to be feeble minded and suffered from poor health, so a decision was taken to coronate him alongside his 10 year old brother Peter(who would go on to be known as Peter the Great) in order to ensure the stability of the state. Thus the double throne was constructed so the two boys could be coroneted together.
As with the smaller 3 Rouble coin the words : “ОРУЖЕЙНАЯ” (ARMOURY) and “ПАЛАТА” (CHAMBER) appear on the reverse.
