What do you think?

Rouble 1771-SPB, ASh

There are probably some obverse die varieties -- but the images in Uzdenikov don't look quite like this one.

Maybe a 1771/0 overdate?

If anything, I would say 1772/1. But the obverse seems a bit strange to me.

Agreed with gxseries, looks more like 1771/0.

WCO

The obverse bust hub for the Empress is identical to that used on coins of 1770, 1771, and 1772 and is of no help in dating the coin. It could be either 1771/0 or 1772/1. My guess would be 1772/1 because there are no signs that the mintmaster initials have been recut. The initials ASh were not used in 1770 but were in 1771.

RWJ

Definitely 1772/1. It's easier to see when the picture is brightened.

Aleksey Shneze was working on Moscow Mint 1766-1768 and SPB Mint 1766-1772 .Rubles existed only 1771, 1772 with m/m "A Sh"
It is more possibility for 1772/1.But I can not see trace of low part of "2"

Thanks Grivna, serves me right to be lazy. Another image manipulated.

Ohh, now I see it. Bobh was right and I was wrong, it really is 1772/1. Item's title on e-bay was: "Russian rouble 1771. Very good condition". So it should be changed at least to "Russian rouble 1772. Very good condition". Interesting that even the seller was unable to specify the correct date of the coin.

WCO

More than the date is wrong. That coin is in somewhat better shape than "very good".

Much better than very good! and getting "more beautiful" as the end of the auction nears....
alas my wife will kill me if i spend any more money on coins. She did buy a brekke supplement for me for xmas, so she does understand me.

I don't know how you guys feel about another coins of this seller, but I don't like these two:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-Rouble-Peter-V...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-rouble-1762-Ve...1QQcmdZViewItem

Especially the Peter I. coin. On the Catharina II. coin I don't like the eagle and the color. I believe, these two coins may be modern fakes.

Interesting ... the Catherine II coin (1762 rouble) looks very similar in condition to the 1772/1 (advertised as 1771) which we have been discussing.

Like I said ... "too good (beautiful) to be true?????"

I have no opinion on the Peter I piece but agree that the 1762 Catherine II rouble is probably modern. The bust hub does not appear to match any of the known genuine pieces issued for circulation. This hub may have been copied from that on the famous 1762 gold rouble.

RWJ

Looking at these rubles, and several recently sold rubles from the same seller, they all seem to have an identical, greenish blotchy look to the patina.
I cant say if its good or bad, just all very similar. Could this be from his scanner settings etc? or if the coins are all from the same old collection, and stored in a particular environment, together, for a long period of time, would they all "age" the same?

1772\1 is genuine to me, 1762 is well known modern fake. Sometimes this fake is even overstrike on a fake Peter 3 rouble that was shown recently with GIM description of bad points (edge, primely) on the Russian forum: http://staraya-moneta.coinsportal.ru/viewt...sc&start=30