Russia 1773-SP YC ruble Dav-1684
This specimen was lot 30656 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $6,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "RUSSIA. Ruble, 1773-CNB RY. St. Petersburg Mint. Catherine II (the Great). NGC MS-62. A more SCARCE type with "TI" in sleeve, this incredible Mint State example demonstrates soft luster and charming details on the surfaces. Sparkle and shimmer emanate from the surfaces, with just a bit of deeper toning near the lower peripheries. A charming representative that is more infrequently seen than most dates, and we therefore expect strong bidding for this lot. From the Sigma Collection." There were two mintmasters for 1773: Yakov Chemishev (1770-76, scarce for 1773) and Fedor Lesnikov (1773-79, normal for 1773). The mintage given below is the combined total. Catherine the Great began life as an obscure German princess but became czarina after the murder of her husband. The rubles of Peter II were about 28 grams but shrank to 20 grams by the end of the reign of Catherine the Great. This is the most common ruble of the eighteenth century but it is not cheap in nice condition.
Recorded mintage: 2,378,000, a scarce date.
Specification: 24 g, 0.750 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Dav-1684; KM-C67a.2; Bit-215.
- Bitkin, Vladimir, Composite Catalogue of Russian Coins, Part II (1740-1917), Kiev: Moneta, 2003.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964..
- Harris, Robert P., Guidebook of Russian Coins, 1725 to 1970, Santa Cruz, CA: Bonanza Press, 1971.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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