bobh

http://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=1959&category=40839&lot=1695595 This is (was?) yours, isn't it?

As the song goes, "A little DIP will do ya"...

Very nice errors! Now, what are the odds of finding polushka and 2 and 5 kopeck pieces from this era with the same errors (to complete the set)?

It's been a while since I did a "show and tell" here. Very difficult to find material that I can add to my collection these days. Either it is something I don't collect, or it is way too expensive, or it is too expensive for the condition. Anyway, here are two special Russian coins, one bought about 2 years ago but only recently brought back to Switzerland, and the other from last month (taking advantage of the cheaper Euro). The gold coin used to belong to RW Julian, and that is why it is special to me (aside from the fact that it is in beautiful condition and a rare date to boot). The silver coin is not rare, although it is the slightly scarcer flat strike ... but it is one of the most beautifully preserved specimens of this type I have ever seen with gorgeous toning and very few marks. Enjoy!

Thanks for the feedback, constanius! What is puzzling to me is that the piece looks like it had circulated. The weight given would make it approx. the size of a small cent. Unlikely that any store cards or other tokens would have circulated in the USA that late (date is 1877). My guess is that it was struck much later; since 1877 is the key date of the Indian cent series, my guess would be early 1900's or even later.

It is a fascinating story indeed -- the entire history of the Novodels will probably never be completely known due to the vanishing of mint records during the early Soviet regime. There are different classifications of Novodel depending on whether new or old dies were used. But you are correct that these were never meant to circulate, with a few exceptions. For example, gold coins were struck by the Soviet regime after 1918 but used dies of Tsar Nicholas II. This was because they needed a way to pay off obligations to foreign governments which didn't trust the new Soviet government, so they put a lot of 5 and 10 rouble coins into circulation which were struck in the early 1920's. As to the cipher series, many more coins would have survived, of course, if Paul hadn't been so thorough in restriking them back to their original denominations. These were intended to circulate, so most of Paul's recoinage was struck using original dies. One notable exception was the 1793-E.M. 5 kopeck piece which was struck with newer dies. Although there were early novodels made mostly for collectors, the practice really became popular during the mid- to late 19th century. There is a well known letter in the compendium of the Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovitch where the Grand Duke complains to the Tsar that the practice should be stopped because everyone wanted their own personal copies of too many rare coins, and the scarcity of these coins was endangered as a result.

I doubt that he would fly over just for the coin ... after all, surely he must have had family or some other dealings in Norway which he could have combined with a quick trip to Germany?

Sigi, this is a fascinating and important story! At the end of the letter, Uzdenikov mentions that you might write to him in German in the future. Did you have any further correspondence with him in German?

Do you know about this site? Монетный двор I'm sure there are lots more, but that is the first one I thought of.

I've never seen anything like this before: http://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=1913&category=39790&lot=1666120 Is it real or just some fantasy?

Nice ... thanks for sharing these pictures! I wonder if it is possible to use a different lighting source rather than the built-in light? Some of these I find rather harsh; a few of them show reflections of the light source in the picture. I'm thinking of axial lighting or diffuse side-angle lighting with multiple bulbs.

Perhaps they sent the best mint workers into exile?

I have sent a reply as a personal message.

Thanks, Igor! Too bad these are all in plastic. But the pictures are absolutely amazing. Also amazing is that the 50 kopeck 1901-FZ was graded MS-66 with such obvious rim dings visible from the reverse at 12 o'clock. But who cares about the edge?

Thanks ... I guess we'll have to be patient.

Anybody?

I'm a little late in reading all of the wonderful information here about Paul... thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge! There was a short-lived project here on the forum, maybe four or five years ago, which concerned translating some documents about Russian coins from the Russian original into English... one-kuna was the initiator, I believe. I couldn't find the link anymore, but I remember seeing an "Ukaz" of Paul where he wanted to change the silver standard to the Dutch "stuyver". Does anybody have that? Is it perhaps in GDM? It would seem that he was somewhat partial to all things Dutch. We shouldn't forget that Peter I (and possibly Paul as well) were fluent in the Dutch language and admired the Dutch navy as well.

Hi Sigi, I never tried heating the oil. But it is important to use extra-virgin quality because the cheaper oil has much higher acidity. Like gxseries said, try it on something common first. I have had mixed results from olive oil in the past. If the corrosion is in a very limited area and not too deep, it can be very effective. But with this one, I expect to still see the variations in toning after soaking the coin. Maybe you can get rid of the little green specks, but the darker areas will probably not change much. Here are before and after pictures from an experiment I did: BEFORE... AFTER: Good luck ... let us know what the outcome is!

Believe it or not, this turned up on eBay several years after being in two of Jim Elmen's auctions:

I don't think it looks so bad. At least to me, to judge from the picture, the corrosion looks stable. Probably has been cleaned many years ago. But I think any attempt to improve it today would probably be dangerous. At most, maybe a little olive oil. Nice overstrike, Sigi!

I know at least five forum members who have that book, and I am sure there are more. They can confirm the information. All I can say here, Mark Twain already said better: "It is easier to fool someone, than to convince someone they have been fooled."

I don't feel comfortable copying what is issued as "copyrighted" material. Both Mr. Brekke and Mr. Bakken have, unfortunately, passed away. Nevertheless, their work has copyright protection. You asked for our opinion, and you got facts. Be happy! Of course, if you choose not to believe it -- that is your problem, isn't it?

Looks like Peter had a nose job in between strikes ... Definitely not the same dies, I would say.

Not that I know of. However, you might be able to order the book from the publishers: Norsk Numismatisk Forlag A/S Øvre Slottsgd. 6 N-0157 Oslo Norway Also, the Russian Numismatic Society might be able to help. They published the first supplement to Brekke's original reference in 1987. Here is the website: http://russiannumismaticsociety.org/

I found this coin (after I posted) which is depicted as a fantasy coin on p. 126 of the Bakken Supplement to Brekke published in 1997. It is pictured at the top of the page. Sorry to disappoint you, but I wouldn't waste any more time on it (edge pictures, etc.).