Specifications
- Denomination
- 10 roubles
- Series
- Russian Imperial Gold — Nicholas II
- Designer
- Anton F. Vasyutinsky (obverse portrait)
- Years of issue
- 1898–1911
- Composition
- 90% Gold, 10% Copper
- Weight
- 8.6026 g
- Diameter
- 22.5 mm
- KM
- Y-64
- Key mintages
- No series-wide total; per-year mintages vary from 10 (1906) to 27,600,000 (1899) (APMEX).
Melt value: $1,081.58
The last Tsar's gold: 8.6026 g of .900 fine gold holding 0.2489 oz pure — the Nicholas II 10 roubles (1898–1911) with the famous lettered edge.
History
- The standard 10-rouble gold type of Nicholas II was struck at St. Petersburg from 1898 to 1911, carrying the Tsar's left-facing portrait and the crowned imperial double eagle (Britannia Coin Company; APMEX).
- The portrait was the work of Anton F. Vasyutinsky, the noted Russian medallist (numisview.com).
- The edge is lettered with the fine-gold content in pre-revolutionary spelling — 'ЧИСТАГО ЗОЛОТА 1 ЗОЛОТНИКЪ 78.24 ДОЛИ' — together with the mint-master's initials, which changed over the series (АГ, ФЗ, АР, ЭБ) (Britannia Coin Company; aydincoins.com).
- Recorded mintages vary enormously: 1899 saw 27,600,000 pieces while 1906 saw only 10 — making the 1906 one of the great rarities of Russian imperial gold (APMEX).
What is it worth
- Melt value = 0.2489 × the current gold spot price per troy ounce (Tavex; aydincoins.com). Common dates trade as bullion at modest premiums (aydincoins.com).
- The 1906 (mintage 10) is the series key; dates like 1909 (50,000), 1910 (100,000), and 1911 (50,000) are the scarce ones to watch (APMEX).
What drives the premium
- Value drivers: 0.2489 troy oz of pure gold sets the floor; date rarity (especially 1906), the mint-master's initials on the edge, and original condition set the premium (APMEX; Britannia Coin Company).
How to identify the valuable variety
- Check the date first: 1906 (10 struck) is the key; 1909, 1910, and 1911 are the scarce dates of the series (APMEX).
- Read the edge: the lettered edge should name the fine-gold content plus the mint-master's initials (АГ, ФЗ, АР, ЭБ) — the lettering is a primary authenticity check (Britannia Coin Company; aydincoins.com).
- Confirm 8.6026 g and 22.5 mm; the type is catalogued as Y-64 (Tavex; purplepenny.com).
Specifications
- Composition: 90% gold (.900 fine) (Tavex)
- Weight: 8.6026 g (Britannia Coin Company)
- Gold content: 0.2489 troy oz AGW (7.7424 g fine) — 8.6026 g × 0.900 (Tavex; Britannia Coin Company); melt value = 0.2489 × the current gold spot price
- Diameter: 22.5 mm (Tavex)
- Edge: Lettered — ЧИСТАГО ЗОЛОТА 1 ЗОЛОТНИКЪ 78.24 ДОЛИ with mint-master initials АГ, ФЗ, АР, ЭБ (Britannia Coin Company; aydincoins.com)
- Designer: Anton F. Vasyutinsky (obverse portrait) (numisview.com)
- Mints: St. Petersburg (Britannia Coin Company)
- Years: 1898–1911 (APMEX)
Collector notes
- The 10-rouble piece was the standard of Russian imperial gold; the smaller 5-rouble piece shares the design at half the weight (Britannia Coin Company).
- See also the World Gold Coins hub for more classic gold issues.
Market check
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