These are 1809, 1829 and 1837 Rubles. The 1829 is the double-looped. I don't have the coins handy right now, just these pictures. Can anyone date these loops? They're all the same. I've always been curious whether they're from the period or not. As you can see in the picture on the right, they're crudely soldered on. Thank you.
Well but that's what I'm trying to determine. I'll put you down for thinking they look like they're from the period, then. If anybody has any that look like these, I'd be interested in seeing them. The dates on just these three coins span some 30 years. These all could have come from one place at one time or they could have come from different places over those years. They're not of a quality that would wind up in the Czar's palace, they're obviously peasantry quality. They do look standardized, though. The grooves along the circumferences are suggestive of that. Somebody made and sold these, and somebody had the resources to solder them on, probably a blacksmith, not necessarily a fine jeweler. I just want to know more about that. Here's an 1855, in which, it appears, the loop was removed...
If I had to say what era it could have happened, I would say that it would be the Soviet era. When the Russian Empire fell, ownership of such coins would have been prohibited. The only way one was allowed to own such coins is to convert them to jewellery. It would have served as a way to export them out of Russia by migrants.
Very interesting, thank you. These were handed down through the family well before the emergence of the USSR, I know that much. Quite plausibly at the time of the fall of Imperialist Russia to the Bolsheviks, in circa 1917, somewhere around then. Your theory would date them then. Why was the 1855 loop removed if they were prohibited outside of jewelry? Given the family custody of these I think it's still an open question whether these were affixed earlier. This is the thing that grabs me, @gxseries, I'm the only one on the planet with these loops? These are standardized, meaning someone or company made these. Where's the rest? Many here collect Russian Rubles. It doesn't make too much sense I'm the only one who has or has seen these and is wondering about these.
I see no logic of why these coins would be made as jewellery during the Tsar era when they would be legal tender. These silver coins back then would be worth quite a fair amount. Or someone that had too much money. Whether it's the bolsheviks or soviet era, the principle remains the same. There is no way to determine if the loop was removed before or after it was exported overseas.
This kind of jewelry was definitely made during czarist era. For example in Estonia, which was part of the Russian empire from 1710 (or so) to 1918, it was particularly popular in Setomaa region. The amount of silver jewelry showed the wealth of the farm. For example something like this (the picture is taken from https://tarkvanem.ee/kasupere-artiklid/seto-ulemsootska/) I have had this kind of coins myself also, but unfortunately cannot find the pictures at the moment. I definitely had a 1727 Anna rouble as the oldest one and i know that there are similar coins from Swedish era also (17th Century coins). But nowadays the mounts are removed from coins, because coin collectors are wealthier than those interested in ethnography. Btw, during soviet time, the soviet roubles were used, if the silver coins were not available.
Maybe some people preferred to wear their wealth. Or it was the best jewellery they could afford. Coins have been holed and/or put into jewellery for a long time.
But these would have to be peasant jewelry, then, right, or most likely? I mean they look like they were affixed by some blacksmith, not some fine jeweler.
Yes, I doubt that an upper class person would wear a necklace with a currently circulating coin. But for an ordinary person in those days a silver ruble would be some serious bling.
You just reminded me that just a few years ago, I remembered seeing a lady wearing a Peter I ruble lopped as a necklace in a pretty flashy event. I wished I could ask her the story of it but didn't get a chance.
