1902 37 Roubles 50 Kopeks (100 Francs)

Specifications

Denomination: 37 roubles 50 kopeks (100 francs)
Series: Nicholas II presentation gold
Years of issue: 1902
Composition: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 32.25 g
Diameter: 33 mm
Edge: Lettered
KM: Y-B65
Mintage: 235
Key mintages: Mintage conflict between Heritage listings: 235 (lot 33240, Aug 2025) vs 225 (earlier listing). Secondary references give 32.26 g / 33.5 mm.

Melt value: $4,054.69gold $4,345.00/ozt, copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

AI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin.

Nicholas II presentation gold · 37½ roubles = 100 French francs · St. Petersburg · Russia's largest gold coin to that point.

History

Struck shortly after Russia adopted the international gold standard, this presentation piece reflects strong French banking influence on Russian finance (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).
The reverse legend includes ‘100 Francs,’ aligning the coin with the Latin Monetary Union and underscoring ties to French lenders, notably the Paris-based Rothschild banking house that underwrote Russian bonds in 1901 (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).
It matches the gold content and fineness of a French 100 francs coin, so the 37 roubles 50 kopeks issue was theoretically interchangeable at par — but it was never meant for circulation; Bitkin classes it as a presentation issue (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).
Heritage describes it as Russia’s largest gold coin up to that point, with near-medallic bold relief (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).

1902 (KM Y-B65, Bitkin-315 R2, Severin-578 RRR): the only year of this presentation issue; Heritage reports mintage 235 while another Heritage listing gives 225 — the conflict is preserved rather than resolved (Heritage Auctions, accessed 2026-09-16).

MINTAGE CONFLICT: Heritage lot 33240 (Aug 2025) reports 235 minted; another Heritage listing reports 225. Both figures are retained here; _cwl_mintage uses the more recent lot’s 235.
COUNTERFEIT DIAGNOSTIC: no counterfeit die markers from an approved authority (PCGS, NGC, Heritage, Stack’s Bowers, Spink, or Krause) were located during research. Professional certification plus non-destructive composition and density testing are prudent given the value.