Russia 1876-SP HI 3 rubles
This specimen was lot 21327 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $7,200. The catalog description[1] noted, "RUSSIA. 3 Rubles, 1876-CNB HI. St. Petersburg Mint. Alexander II. NGC MS-64. Incredibly captivating and brilliant, this blazing Near Gem features satiny surfaces fully awash in a radiating luster and a golden-orange tone. Quite RARE this attractive, it is, rather accordingly, tied with just one other specimen as the finest graded in the NGC census." This type is listed for 1869-85 and is fairly common in circulated condition. It superseded a platinum three rubles of 1828-45. In 1886, the five rubles was revised to match the French twenty francs d'or, resulting in a weight reduction to .186 troy oz, and the three rubles was terminated.
Recorded mintage: 63,000.
Specification: 3.92 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-164; KM-Y26; Bit-38.
- Bitkin, Vladimir, Composite Catalogue of Russian Coins, Part II (1740-1917), Kiev: Moneta, 2003.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Harris, Robert P., Guidebook of Russian Coins, 1725 to 1970, Santa Cruz, CA: Bonanza Press, 1971.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2020 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
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