NEW BOOK: EARLY RUSSIAN COINS, 1353-1553

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V18 2015 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 18, Number 12, March 22, 2015, Article 4

With a great pleasure we introduce the first complete catalogue of early Russian coins. Russian edition of the book (2013) already became a standard reference for Russian medieval coinage at many European auctions and coin stores.

14-16th century Russian coins - a large chunk of European medieval numismatics- are set out in very clear layout - by the regions and rulers, covering period from first post-Mongol issues to the end of Yoke in 16th century.

The anticipated catalogue "Early Russian Coins, 1353-1553" is a study of the wonderful and fascinating world of the earliest Russian coinage of the feudal and fragmented Russian states, never before published outside Russia and almost unknown in the West.

Before the later 14th century, Russia was an assembly of small independent states, plagued by infighting and lingering under the overlordship of the Mongols. Starting in the 14th century and in under a century most of these Russian states were united under the rule of Moscow, partially through treaties and other political means and partially through heavy-handed military action. By the late 15th century the unification was complete, and a large single state with a capital in Moscow was formed.

Many of the feudal Russian states minted coins of their own starting in the 14th century, using new and original designs and naming their own rulers. The coinage, almost unknown in the West, exhibits a fascinating diversity, with many hundreds of types in silver and bronze produced. These early coins include imitations of the Mongol (Golden Horde) dangs, coins combining Russian elements and Islamic elements and, finally, a huge range of purely Russian coins showing a surprising variety of designs including biblical themes and verses, mythological themes and animals, numerous violent scenes of fighting, stabbings, decapitations and other things one might expect from medieval coins. Other strange things found on these coins are designs showing Alexander of Macedon, scenes of homage, scenes of coin minting and ever-present Russian inscriptions naming the ruling Dukes.

This catalogue includes descriptions and images of many hundreds of coins, from the inception of the native Russian coinage to the eventual unification of types under the Vasily Ivanovich of Moscow (1505-1533). Coins of the Russian states which were not conquered by Moscow (such as Lithuania and Red Russia) are also included this book. The relative rarity ranking for all the listed coins is also given, which should be of immense help to any collector of medieval coins.

The information is based on the most modern numismatic research available, but is presented in a simple-to-use way, aiming to introduce this fascinating coinage to the wide circle of both collectors and researchers.

This book is an English edition of "Russian Coins 1353-1533" of 2013 which has now become a standard catalogue for Russian medieval coins being actually a first publication of such scale since 19th century catalogues.

For many years the only reference on the topic was the 1896 Oreshnikov book which, until it was reprinted in the 1990s was impossible to find. I had to go to the Library of Congress and spent several hours copying their copy.

THE BOOK BAZARRE

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