http://www.cngcoins.com/coins.asp?CATEGORY...606&VIEW_TYPE=0

Plenty of platinum rubles and in proof quality!!! Omg!!!

Get out your checkbook. I'm tempted to bid on a 3 Ruble platinum but I rewally shouldn't go there right now.

Yes I am tempted to, but I am expecting the platinum rubles to go over 700 dollars each easily...

The Triton prizes are always high. I 'd bet on $1500 for the 3 Rubles. The 6 and 12 are estimated at 5 digits

Sestroresk Ruble

Oh, the desire to own this, it burns so hot.

I think I might settle for a 10 kopek upgrade for my Siberian collection though.

Why do they refer to all those early proof kopek pieces as novodels?

It can't be possible that proofs were made very early as Russia did not really have the technology to do so. The earliest proof would probably be minted in the 1830s but anything earlier than that would quite likely to be a novodel. A sign of tell of a novodel is the different edgings, struck effects and metal alloys. There are other factors to consider a novodel but that I will leave it for now.

It is quite well-known that novodels were made for insane collectors around 1850s but it could be made any time.

Ahh, so the King of Siam proof sets made with 1804 dated coins but struck later would be considered novodels. I wonder why they don't use the term in US numismatics.

You see, restrike is under the generic term "novodel"

The critical difference between a novodel and a restrike is that a novodel has a wider defination whereas a restrike is quite restrictive.

A restrike usually would mean an exact strike of a coin which was done in the past but a novodel allows the defination of some "modifications"

An excellent example would be the Siberian kopeks, as in the past, the original Siberian kopeks were so crudely struck with bad edging. However with the novodels, clear planchets and with a completely different edging was created. To call it a restrike is not really right in my opinion, as the edging and planchet quality differs.

Thanks, that makes sense. So for both novodels and restrikes it would be appropriate to indicate a struck date if known, but for novoldels it might also make sense to highlight the modifications that were made prior to restriking.

It's quite difficult to say what the Russian mintmasters were thinking of when they were doing a restrike.

But one thing is very clear, that is, if an old die is suitable for striking, then it is perfectly suitable for a restrike, if not a novodel.

It seems that when a particular type of coin is proven to be too rare, or if a "pattern" design was suddenly approved for coinage, mintmasters would then make such new coins. It can be possible that there weren't enough dies and hence older dies were used. Most of the times for novodels, they were made for the insane wealthy people.

Let's take the example of the platinum rubles. A recent study of the metal spectometry has showed stunning results, that is at least three different alloys were used in striking such coins. The explanation that the report gave suggested that there were in fact at least two restrikes after the first original strikes. This was established after knowing the refineness of the platinum / iridium / rhodium levels.

But when would such platinum coins be made? The first would obviously be the time when the first platinum issues were made. However they got too unpopular and got recalled. It is difficult to know how many were melted down. Given a short period of time after that, probably in the 1850s~1880s, there were rich people who were trying to collect a type set like we do. It is quite likely that by the demands of collectors, that the first restrike was done.

The second restrike was quite likely to be done during the Soviet Stalinist era, which one would remember him giving orders to sell of some of the great Russian arts. It would not be a suprise that restrikes were made in attempt to save the original platinum coins. Now if those coins were actually dated, I am sure that collectors at that time would avoid the restrikes at costs.

Right now, would restrikes or novodels be considered as total trash? I doubt it though. Fortunately enough, mintmasters were smart enough not to overproduce such coins. Also, chances are that novodels are quite likely a better quality than the original coins. Trying to identify novodels against an original strike can prove to be VERY difficult...