Bank of Russia Museum acquires a new coin

The Bank of Russia Museum and Exposition Fund has acquired a very rare coin, the so-called ‘family ruble’ issued in 1836.

The coin portrays the members of the Imperial Family: the Emperor Nicholas I on the obverse side and the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and royal children on the reverse side of the coin: Alexander Nikolayevich (the future Emperor Alexander II, above his mother’s portrait) and (counter-clockwise) Alexandra, Konstantin, Michael, Nicholas, Olga, and Maria. This is where the ruble’s ‘family’ name comes from.

The coin, with a face value of 1.5 rubles, is very rare: 36 ‘family ruble-and-a-half coins’ were minted in 1835 and 200 pieces in 1836.

Dubbed by collectors as ‘semeinik’, this ruble was designed by order of Nicholas I with his active participation. The dies were made by the well-known medallist, Pavel Petrovich Utkin. The coin was given (sometimes by the Tsar himself) as a present - an exclusive one by the standards of that time.

The Bank of Russia Museum and Exposition Fund contains more than 17.5 thousand items. Old Russian coins occupy an important place among them and always attract visitors’ attention. The ‘semeinik’, which was added to the museum's collection in late 2017, has already become one of its symbols.

Registration information of the 1836 ‘family ruble’ in the Bank of Russia MEF collection: silver fineness 868, ligature mass 31.14 g, diameter 40 mm.