Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="satootoko, post: 26361, member: 669"]Welcome to the forum Macki.  That's an interesting Russian coin, that needs to be closely examined in order to determine which variety it is.Krause uses a mixed bag of Craig ("C"), Yeoman ("Y") and their own ("KM") numbers for 19th Century Russian coins. Y59 is a Rouble, minted in three varieties, two of which are listed as having 1897 examples. The coin is 19.9960g of .900 silver (.5786 oz. ASW), about 33.5mm, with a right facing bust, presumably that of Czar Nicholas II, on the obverse, and a two-headed eagle on the reverse. Y59.1 had a mintage of 26-million in 1897, and is distinguished by its mintmark, consisting of 2 stars on the edge, indicating production at Brussels, Belgium.  Values in the 3rd Ed. 19th Century Krause are $12 F, $25 VF, $60 XF, and $250 Unc.  I don't know whether that has changed in the just-published 4th Ed. Y59.2 was not produced in 1897. Y59.3 has the initials of Mintmaster Appolon Grasgov (they look like an "A" without a crossbar, and an upside down "L" with the horizontal line going to the right.  It had an 1897 mintage of 18,515,000 at Paris, indicated by a single star mintmark, along with the Mintmaster initials on the edge.  Book values are $12 F, $25 VF, $65 XF, and $225 Unc. Krause also notes that there are rare mint errors with plain edges.  My guess is they would be much more valuable than the standard coins.[/QUOTE]