The reason for writing this material was numerous questions from readers interested in valuable and rare rubles and kopecks of modern Russia. I had to work hard to answer all the main questions in one article.
The article is written taking into account my many years of experience in numismatics, but at the same time I tried to avoid complex terms, simplifying the information as much as possible in order to make it accessible to beginners in the world of numismatics.
who immediately after reading could begin practical work with coins. The first reader was my 10-year-old son, who could easily understand all the subtleties. Therefore, I think that I have successfully coped with the task.
Those who master this material will find complete lists of the most expensive modern coins of the Russian Federation, these will be tables for unique money, and information on those that are not very high, but can be found in any wallet.
The main purpose of this material is not just to provide a catalog with photos and descriptions of copies that are valued more, but also to teach everyone how to distinguish rare Russian banknotes from ordinary ones.
The material will be completed by no less important information on the methods of evaluation and places where you can rent (sell) found rarities. As a result, what follows is one of the most comprehensive guides to finding, identifying and selling rare and valuable modern coins.
This information will be especially relevant now, because during the economic crisis, many of us seek to explore new ways to earn money.
Therefore, at the end of the article, personal experience in obtaining additional income by selling unique, defective and other unusual coins will be described, as well as many myths associated with the high value of some banknotes will be dispelled.
What do you need to know about the coins of modern Russia in order to make money on the search for rare ones?
In the article we will only touch on them. In addition, there are investment banknotes, as well as commemorative and commemorative ones, the issue of which is intended for collectors.
Regular minted money: important terms
The first group that we will consider is the money of regular coinage, they are also called “walker”.
These are banknotes with the image of a double-headed eagle, which come in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 rubles. There are also coins depicting a rider and a snake, they are issued in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 50 kopecks. All this is the money we are used to, which is usually issued by the Bank of Russia on a regular basis and is used for settlements in stores, in public transport, etc.
Obverse (front side) – the side of the banknote on which either an eagle or a horseman with a spear is depicted.
Reverse (back side) – the side opposite to the reverse, on modern Russian money it has a denomination designation, as well as a stylized image of branches, leaves and buds.
Edge (edge) – side surface.
Kant (shoulder) – the edge of the coin protruding above the surface, passing along the entire perimeter of the obverse and reverse.
Face value (nominal price) – the value indicated on the banknote, which was established by the Bank of Russia.
The following photo highlights all the important points:
A mint is a company that manufactures coins. There are public and private.
The St. Petersburg Mint (abbr. SPMD) leaves a stamp on rubles in the form of the letters “SPMD”, and on kopecks – “SP”.
The Moscow Mint (abbr. MMD) on coins of ruble denominations is indicated by the abbreviation “MMD”, and on kopecks – “M”.
The photo shows all variants of the image of the badge of the Moscow Mint (MMD):
In most situations, modern regular coins are valued by numismatists at their face value. Expensive specimens are rare, and very valuable ones are extremely rare. Such expensive money includes issues with small circulations, some varieties and marriages. See below for more details.
Anniversary rubles
The second group of coins in circulation is commemorative and commemorative money. They are much less common.
Anniversary and commemorative money in Russia are minted for certain events, dates, or as part of commemorative series (“Ancient Cities”, “Cities of Military Glory”, etc.).
They differ from regular releases in that one of their sides has some kind of image dedicated to the theme of the release. Usually these are ten-ruble coins (two-color (bimetallic) or yellow of a new design), but sometimes you can also find 1, 2 and 5 rubles.
These unusual coins are always issued in smaller volumes compared to regular minted issues, so they are worth more than their face value for collectors. We will consider the prices for them in more detail after the description of regular releases.
Others say that these are custom-made, that is, issued with the simple purpose of satisfying the demand of wealthy collectors.
On trading floors and auctions, this money appears very rarely. In cases where auctions are nevertheless held, it is almost impossible to predict the final sale price, but it always exceeds 100,000 rubles.
We suggest not to waste time looking for these unique money. But if you want to make money on the search for rare rubles and kopecks, we advise you to pay attention to the following coins that are expensive for collectors.
Valuable coins from circulation
There are several groups of coins that will be of interest to collectors. All this money can be found in piggy banks and wallets, and then sold at a profit.
The first group is the so-called “rare years”, the second group is high-preservation specimens, then we will consider what varieties are and which ones are valuable, and we will also learn to distinguish them.
