Friday, June 10, 2016

Back in the day

Ukraine has been through a number of currency changes- the kupon, anyone?- but we're going a bit further back in time today. I've tried to find out as much as possible about these coins, but please jump into the comments if you know anything else!

This coin is called a denga (денга is actually written on it). My friend found it near Kharkiv, while digging at his dacha. Ebay lists these coins for $5-10 USD.

Is that year 1735?


Here's a five-kopek coin from 1789. You can find this coin on Ebay for $100-500. I have no idea how we encountered this coin. It looks like someone brought it to work one day and my husband took pictures of it.





Below is a fifty-kopek coin from 1912, featuring Nicolas II. (Six years later, he was executed.) These coins go for $20-50 on Ebay.



This blurry photo shows a poltinnik, half-ruble, from 1924. Now $20-30 on Ebay.



This tin of Soviet rubles I remember so well, since it was D's childhood coin collection. The coins were far bigger and heavier than any coins I'd seen before, and the images covering both sides were fascinating.


D was less impressed. Instead of something to pour over, he saw it as just a heavy tin of coins, and laid down the law: "Pick one of each, and then I'm getting rid of it."

One-ruble coin, 1975. "30 years of WWII victory."
One-ruble coin, 1967.
One-ruble coin, 1965. "Victory over fascist Germany."
One-ruble coins, reverse side.

That was the end of those coins. D gave the tin to a coworkers who collected coins, who probably sold them on.


This commemorative five-ruble coin from 1989 came from a friend's collection, not from the tin. Do you recognize the famous cathedral on the back?




And that's all I've got when it comes to pictures of old coins ;) The old stuff is really interesting to me, but it clashes with a desire for minimalism... so I wind up with a ton of pictures but not actual things. What do you think of looking at old currencies? Do you think of the people who used this money, and what their stories were?


If you're curious about more recent forms of money, try these-
500 grivna
100 grivna
50 grivna
10 + 20 grivna
1 grivna
the kupon karbovanets, a 90s Ukraine currency

4 comments:

  1. So cool! I love collecting money from places I go. My friends ex-boyfriend gave her some Soviet currency and she gave me a ruble note. The other day my boyfriend gave me a 25 ruble coin from the Sochi olympics. Not as cool as that coin from 1789 though!

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    1. Thanks! I bet you could find some great flea markets in Ufa that sell this kind of stuff.

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  2. I love these!! I love all old coins and currency. Very exciting stuff!

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