1755 20 Roubles (Pattern)

Specifications

Denomination: 20 roubles
Series: Elizabeth pattern coinage
Years of issue: 1755
Composition: 91.7% Gold, 8.3% Copper
Weight: 33.14 g
Diameter: 37 mm
Mintage: 2
Key mintages: Pattern — not issued; two specimens known (Hermitage; ex–Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich, sold St James's London 2008-11-06 for £1.555M). Catalog number unverified.

Melt value: $4,245.28gold $4,345.00/ozt, copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

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

Elizabeth gold pattern 'double imperial' · 1755 · a genuine St. Petersburg pattern, not a circulation issue — only two specimens known.

History

The 1755 20 roubles is a genuine St. Petersburg gold pattern (double imperial) of Empress Elizabeth — a trial striking, not a circulating issue (Coinstrail catalog summary; Russian Wikipedia, accessed 2026-09-16).
Only two specimens are reported: one in the State Hermitage Museum and one formerly in the Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich collection (Russian Wikipedia, accessed 2026-09-16).
The ex–Georgii Mikhailovich specimen sold at St James’s, London, on 2008-11-06 for £1.555 million (Russian Wikipedia, accessed 2026-09-16).

1755 pattern: two specimens known — the Hermitage piece and the ex–Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich piece (£1.555M, St James’s 2008). No circulation strikes exist.

STATUS: pattern/trial striking — never issued for circulation. Catalog number not verified from an approved source.
COUNTERFEIT DIAGNOSTIC: no counterfeit die markers from an approved authority (PCGS, NGC, Heritage, Stack’s Bowers, Spink, or Krause) were located during research. With only two genuine specimens known, any purported example requires expert authentication, professional certification, and non-destructive testing.