I've long been fascinated by the early 19th century platinum 3 roubles coins from Russia, the only platinum coins produced for general circulation. I'm thinking of putting in an offer on this coin, as it seems to be at a better price than past sales of equivalent-quality coins on eBay and at HA. My only qualm is the strike, as the reverse is weakly struck and is missing a lot of detail. My question is, how often do these coins come around? Am I better served waiting for a fully struck VF, or is it worth pulling the trigger on this one?
One word of advice on these coins, trust your seller and check the slab vs. the NGC website as there are now counterfeit slabs for the counterfeit coins.
These coins are scarce. Never purchase one w/o certification. By our standards, they are not well made: Surface & rim roughness, laminations, adjustments. If the price is OK go for it. If you have the money, there are AU's (some graded MS) around. I have probably examined about 30 and have only seen one or two w/o rub.
I would describe these coins as moderately scarce. There are several different dates, so I don't remember which ones are scarcer than others but as a type coin, it is not hard to find or buy. I noticed the coin in your link has sold. I don't know if you bought it but I would only want a higher quality one, as this is the lowest grade I recall.