Old Russian units of measurement
In the pre-revolutionary system of units of measurement of mass, the basis was the Russian pound, which appeared in the 12th-14th centuries, initially equal to two hryvnias of silver. It differs from the pounds that existed in other countries, and by the end of the 19th century it was officially equivalent to 409.5124 grams, although the word "gram" was hardly used and was used only in international calculations. Large quantities of metal, food, or other goods were calculated in poods; one pood was equal to exactly 40 pounds, that is, 16.3804964 kg. 1 pound included 96 spools, which were equal to 96 shares. Most likely, the spool originally denoted the weight of a Byzantine (and then Russian) gold coin, which is mentioned in ancient documents. From the middle of the 18th century, a lot appeared, equated to three spools; this unit came from Europe, where it was used to measure the sample of an alloy in the lot system. The fraction (0.044435 g) was the minimum unit of mass measurement, approximately equal to the weight of a grain of one of the wild varieties of wheat - spelt. Ripe grains have almost perfectly equal mass, so it was convenient to weigh coins with their help. Grains were weighed not only in Rus', but also in many other countries, for example, the well-known carat, which was divided into grains - barley grains.
Weight designation on a 19th century silver coin
The ratio 1/96 was also used to determine the sample of a precious metal: 96 is pure metal without impurities, 48 is billon, that is, half sample. For example, sample 72 is equal to international 750 (measured in ppm). In some countries, fineness is measured in carats, with 24 carats being pure gold, 12 equaling 500 fine gold, etc. The largest measure of weight in Rus' was the berkovets - 10 poods, but it was not used to determine the mass of coins or metals for them. In 1918 V.I. Lenin signed the decree “On the introduction of the international metric system of weights and measures”; from that time on, the official use of old Russian weight norms ceased, but for several years they could be found in various documents of a local nature. The peasant population adapted to the new system for many decades. Now the term “pud” is used only in relation to 16-kilogram weights, and with significant rounding; other units are not used at all. Thus, the ratio of Old Russian units of weight measurement can be represented as: 1 pood = 40 pounds = 16380.496 g; 1 pound = 32 lots = 96 spools = 9216 shares = 409.5124 g; 1 lot = 3 spools = 288 shares = 12.79728 g; 1 spool = 96 shares = 4.26576 g; 1 share = 0.044435 g.
How much does a gold coin weigh?
During Tsarist Russia, one chervonets consisted of 78.24 gold. If there were large volumes of precious metals, then the unit of measurement was a pood equal to forty pounds. During the Russian Empire, the heaviest coin was the copper ruble, which weighed approximately 1600 grams. Other units of measurement of gold in a coin were spool, lot and share.
Spool
The concept of “zolotnik” most likely originates from a gold coin, which was called and used during the times of Kievan Rus. Zlatnik, as it was also called, is a fairly small coin.
Gold coins
A fairly well-known coin among knowledgeable people is a gold coin with a face value of 10 rubles, produced in 1901. The total weight of the 10 ruble gold coin of 1901 is 860 grams. It is minted very beautifully - one of its sides is decorated with the image of Nicholas II, on the other side there is a coat of arms in the form of a double-headed eagle.
10 rubles 1836
Modern units of measurement for precious stones and metals
Weight of pure gold in grams
The carat, already described above, which is of Arabic origin, is now widely used to measure the weight of precious stones. The weight of one carat has changed at different times and in different countries, but is now equivalent to 0.2 grams. For metals, the English system of measures is used, which includes the English pound (453.59237 g), English ounce (28.349523125 g), grain (1/7000 of a pound), troy ounce (31.1034768 g), and other, lesser-known measures. The troy ounce (480 grains) has become an international measure of the weight of precious metals. The name comes from the city of Troyes in northern France, which in the Middle Ages was one of the important European trading hubs; the troy ounce is based on the French livre. Almost all investment and collection coins of Russia and other countries have a pure metal weight of a certain fraction of a troy ounce, or several ounces. Taking into account the fineness, the total weight of the coins is higher. For example, silver 3-ruble coins issued since 1992 include 1 ounce of pure silver, and the gold investment coin “St. George the Victorious” contains ¼ ounce of gold. The exchange rate of precious metals against foreign currencies is also expressed in troy ounces. Soviet gold chervonets, based on the Old Russian system of measures, differ slightly in weight from ¼ ounce, but are close to it. Photos provided by site users: Andrey_P, Moneta100, Admin.
Article last modified: 01/11/2018
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We answer the audience: Gold investment coins and their secrets
Hello dear viewers, this is Dmitry Balkovsky, Goldenfront.ru. In this video we will answer questions from our reader Sergei about buying gold savings coins. There hasn't been a video on this topic in a while, so take a listen.
Hello Dmitry!
I watched all your videos. There is very little specific information about the coins themselves. Newbies have a lot of questions, it’s impossible to list them all at once.
Let's start by defining an investment coin, although I prefer to call them a savings coin. This is a working definition, it can be challenged, but for our purposes it is quite suitable. So, this is a coin of 900 fineness or better and minted in the 20th or 21st century. A .900 fineness in a bullion coin means it is at least 90% gold, silver, etc.
The key to buying savings coins is to pay a minimum for a maximum of grams, ounces or kilograms of pure gold or silver. But like any rule, there are exceptions. There is a standard set of savings coins: these are gold and silver eagles and gold buffalos minted by the US Mint, Canadian maple leaves - gold and silver, Vienna Philharmonic - gold and silver, Australian kangaroos - gold and silver, gold South African Krugerrands, Chinese pandas - gold and silver, as well as coins minted by the Royal Mint of Great Britain. The standard weight for all of the above gold coins is one ounce of gold, although most come in a variety of fractions from 2 ounces to 1/20 ounce.
Also important for Russia are the ¼-ounce gold St. George the Victorious and the 1-ounce silver Victorious.
Goldenfront has detailed descriptions of all these coins - link here .
In addition to the standard set, there are literally tens of thousands of coins of similar weights and fineness that are exactly the same as investment coins.
1. The bank asked: what year of Victorious do I need? They said that the quality and, accordingly, the liquidity of the coin depends on the year. What year do I need the Victorious? I took any one - 2021.
If they offer 2021, then take it, although there is essentially no difference between the years for the Pobedonosts. You can buy coins from any year. By quality they mean stains, but these stains are washed off - there is a lot of material about this on the Internet. But you can also buy coins with spots; there are no problems with the sales of such coins. Stains can appear on any coins, but on Russian coins they appear en masse. Coins with spots are not counterfeit.
2. They didn’t give me a certificate for the coin. They said: the certificate “does not go to the Victorious.” Is it so? If so, what coins does it not yet “go to” and does this greatly affect the liquidity of coins (including during the war)?
Investment or savings coins are legal tender and are usually marked with a denomination. For example, St. George the Victorious gold coins have a denomination of 50 rubles, which means you can go to the store and buy a loaf of bread with it. Therefore, they do not have any certificates, just as the 5,000 ruble bill in your wallet does not have them.
3. Why is it not advisable to buy coins of satisfactory quality? - after all, they are as close as possible to the price of the metal.
It depends what you mean by satisfactory quality. I recommend buying coins without large dents, noticeable scratches or major damage. Minor scratches and damage are quite acceptable and should not affect the repurchase price.
4. Why is it better (in investment terms) Orel, 916.7 purity, than Philharmoniker, 999.9 purity? Why is Orel more expensive? Why is he more popular, finally? What is the “investment power” of any given coin?
The Eagle is actually no better than the Philharmonic. It is a little more expensive because it travels from afar. Eagle is more popular in America because it is made in America and is more trusted there, just like Canadian maple leaves. In Europe, the Philharmonic is more popular, and Krugerrands are generally known and valued throughout the world. It is most convenient to store Philharmonic in large quantities. The investment power of a coin lies in the amount of gold it contains.
5. The weight of “pure” gold is indicated on the coin. Is this the weight of 1000.0 fine gold? - i.e. 100% gold in it? Or is it the weight of the 999 fine gold contained in the coin? - if the coin has a purity of 999.
It is impossible to achieve the 1000th sample under terrestrial conditions. Even in coins with a hallmark of 5 nines, traces of silver, copper and other metals always remain. Therefore, it is recommended not to store golden pandas and buffalos in soft plastic, in which they were originally packaged, but to transfer them into hard capsules. Soft plastic may begin to react with impurities and cause staining.
As for the gold content of the coin, the gold content of 7.78 g indicated on the St. George the Victorious coin means that it is guaranteed to contain at least that much gold. Savings coins are mass produced items and therefore have manufacturing tolerances. But in the vast majority of cases there will be a little more metal in them, by 0.05 or 0.1 g. So that buyers do not worry.
6. On the liquidity of coins in wartime. Something tells me that it will always be easier to exchange or sell a coin weighing 1/4 ounce than one weighing an ounce. Similarly, a couple of dozen rings, 585 purity, will be easier and more convenient to exchange for food than one Eagle. Is not it? If we don’t have a single dealer in our city even now, then where is the guarantee that in wartime at least someone here will buy gold and not buckwheat? I think that the gold item that is cheaper will be easier and more convenient to exchange. Is not it?
Literally in December we had a video dedicated to the far-fetched problem of gold liquidity in the notorious wartime, where we mentioned the situation in besieged Leningrad and the circulation of gold there. You can watch and read it here . But paranoia is invincible.
Firstly, who will we fight with? With Georgia? As for rings, you can buy them too, it’s just that a gram of gold in them costs many times more than in coins, so it’s pointless.
Secondly, then buy 1/20 ounce coins, they are even smaller than quarters. Of course, they are expensive per gram, but food safety comes first.
Thirdly, there is already a dealer in your city. It's called a pawnshop. So if there are NATO aggressors at the gate, you put the coins in a sock, turn them into a crowbar and take them there. You will receive 5 percent less than you would in civilized conditions, but the family will have buckwheat.
Comments:
Hello!
My great-grandmother said that her father: “Measured gold in buckets.” This phrase is passed down from generation to generation. I have been looking for information for a long, long time, WHAT buckets are we talking about? (how rich was our family before the revolution?) This apparently happened in the 19th century - my great-grandmother was born at the end of the 19th century. Help me please. THANK YOU. 05/16/2012 at 17:24:10
Most likely, your great-grandmother wanted to show with this phrase that her father was very rich. It’s just a saying, like: “Money doesn’t matter to chickens.” In fact, gold was not measured with any buckets.
Author: Admin 05/17/2012 at 02:30:31
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What are the most expensive coins?
The most expensive in the world is the Australian Red Kangaroo. The specimen weighs 1 ton and has a diameter of 80 cm. However, it is considered an exhibition specimen and has never been sold.
The ranking of the 5 most expensive coins sold looks like this:
- Double Eagle, 1933, $7.6 million;
- Brasher's Doubloon, 1787, $7.4 million;
- 8th century Arab coin Umayyaden Dina”, £3.7 million;
- South African Pound, 1898, Single 9, $4 million;
- Double Eagle in relief, 1907, $2.9 million.
Design
The appearance of 1 oz gold coins is one of the main attractive features of investment specimens. Each piece reflects the traditions and customs of the country in which it was minted.
Did you know? The American Eagle, Sovereign and Krugerrand contain 91.7% gold (22 karats). The Maple Leaf, Nugget and Panda are made of 99.9% pure gold (24 karats) without any additional alloys.
Specifications of the 1 oz Gold Krugerrand
Material: gold. Proof: 917. Weight: 1 oz. Denomination: no. Diameter: 32.8 mm. Thickness: 2.84 mm. Quality: Unc.
The 1 oz 917 gold coin contains 31.1035 grams of precious metal and 2.826 grams of copper. This alloy is called “crown gold” - it is stronger, more durable and less susceptible to scratches.
Obverse: On the front side is a portrait of the first President of South Africa - Paul Kruger. The name of the coin is translated as the Kruger rand, where the rand is the name of the South African currency. The face is turned to the left. To the left of the portrait is the inscription “SUID-AFRIKA”, and to the right “SOUTH AFRICA”. Reverse: On the reverse side is the symbol of South Africa – the springbok antelope. Above the animal there is the inscription “KRUGERRAND”, on the left the numbers 19, on the right 67. On the bottom there is the inscription “FYNGOUD 10Z FINE GOLD”.
