https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_the_Great https://moneditis.com/2016/05/05/rublo-1768-catalina-la-grande-рубль-1768-екатерина-ii/
I don't think I would be inclined to purchase a coin like that, especially for 170 Euros. For less than twice as much, a better example can be bought certified in something around VF25 that looks vastly superior to this possibly spurious example.
Well, fortunately there is always one or more points of view. The auction house who auctioned this ruble sold it to someone for 148 € + commissions (converting from rubles). Conservation given: VF+. What do you mean "spurious"? ps/correction: final price of 148 € including 10% commission, not 170 €
Russian coins have lost some of their 'luster' recently due to the economy but I'm sure they'll make a comeback. Catherine the Great is always popular but unfortunately, not many Russian coins from that era have survived in high grades and those that have, command a very high price. Why not have it graded. It will enhance its value and help preserve it for the future. I have a few, including coronation coins (Alexander III and Nicolas II) and find them interesting and collectable. Has also made me read up on Russian history which is very fascinating and full of intrigue!!! Enjoy your coin.
In some sense, Russian coins in general have been perhaps too overrated in the last few years. This does not include the rarer coins but in general just too overpriced in my opinion. Of course, it might just be a reflect of the supply vs demand. I'm actually troubled by what I'm looking at. At first glance it looks like there's PVC damage on the reverse. The edge is what I am questioning - it looks a bit too sharp considering the wear on the surfaces. First instinct tells me that someone decided to reedge it for whatever reason it is.
I partly accept what you say but the Russians were themselves buying back much of their history. Now with sanctions and a recession, they have had to cut back. Even their silver items of vertu have lost some value. The extremely rare/unique items will ALWAYS find buyers but I do feel that Russian coins too will stage a comeback. Do you think the edge is 'suspect' or is it just a case of the Obverse and Reverse naturally having more wear than the edges as they are larger contact surfaces. This is true of most coins. I have gold coins where the more exposed obverse and reverse show signs of wear but the edge is still sharp. Perhaps it was worn as jewellery, without permanent mounts, as were many tsarist roubles.
Have in mind the much larger edge image size / edge photo size in relation with coin observe and reverse images for interpreting details. So, I do not think this ruble is reedged (pretty sure IMHO).
I do own a couple of examples and from memory the edges did not look like this. One of the worn coins that I own actually had been re-filed manually and it looks quite close to what is shown. At minimum, I believe it would be best to soak the coin in acetone to attempt to remove the PVC damage (pretty certain that's what it is)
