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Russia guys, help me out -- what would Raskolnikov have had in his pocket?

mirabelamirabela Posts: 5,049 ✭✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
I think one of my next projects is going to be to compose a type set of what Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov would have had in his pocket, from the rouble denomination on down, as he wandered St. Petersburg in 1866. The catch is that obviously he would not have been toting around mint state coins. I would like to keep this reasonably affordable -- what do you suppose would have been around in VF to XF-ish condition then, that I could get in Fine to VF nowadays without spending a ton of money?

I am thinking rouble on down to small copper. If possible, I would like to build a reasonably well matched set. Thanks in advance!
mirabela

Comments

  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,737 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Silver 5, 10, 20 Kopecks wouldn't break your wallet in F-VF. Not sure about the prices for 50 (Poltina) and a Ruble, but I would guess pretty high. You could go with gold 5 Rubles, as well, but I don't think Raskolnikov ever got his hands on that much money.


    8 Reales Madness Collection
  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,737 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Some examples:

    1880 2 Kopeks

    1883 3 Kopeks

    1881 5 Kopeks (Copper)

    1882 5 Kopeks (Silver)

    1880 10 Kopeks

    1882 15 Kopeks

    Etc... image

    I just checked and all my miscellanious Russian stuff is of later dates (closer to 1897-1925), sorry.

    8 Reales Madness Collection
  • shirohniichanshirohniichan Posts: 4,992 ✭✭✭
    That sounds like a great project! I imagine a big part of the problem in figuring out what to include would be finding out what coins circulated. If you would have been in the eastern US in 1866, for example, you'd find fractional currency and precious little coin circulating. The silver coins dated in the late 1850's through the 1860's didn't really start circulating freely in the eastern states until about 1876 when silver prices dropped.

    If silver coins were freely circulating in 1866 Petersburg, I imagine there would have been a good mixture of Nicholas I and Alexander II coins. Perhaps you can get some denominations of Nicholas I in F to VF and others of Alexander II in EF to AU.

    Raskolnikov is one of my favorite characters used to portray the misguided fanatic. It's too bad so few people get the reference, though.

    Let us know how your collection progresses.
    image
    Obscurum per obscurius
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