What does spmd mean on coins. What are and where are the mint marks on the coins of Russia

Collecting coins, or numismatics, is the most popular form of collecting. Some consider it wrong to call coin collecting numismatics, since this word refers to the science of the origin and history of coins. However, the essence of the process does not change.

There are three main areas of coin collecting: thematic (collecting coins with certain images), collecting commemorative and commemorative coins, weathering (coins of a certain country by year and by mint, that is, they have certain hallmarks mints Russia or another state).

It is worth noting that coin collecting is a very expensive hobby. Vintage copies can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Not everyone can afford to buy a piece of metal for such an amount. Commemorative and commemorative coins also have a significant value, since in most cases they are made of precious metals or are produced in limited quantities. That is why among novice numismatists, the most popular area of ​​collecting is collecting weather cards of the USSR and Russia. But even here it is not so simple! Even coins of the same state, denomination, year of issue and the same condition can have different prices on the market.

Why are some coins more expensive?

For example, in Russian Federation Today there are two mints - in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Both of these enterprises in the same period of time issued coins of the same denomination. However, one of the mints could issue a limited series. It is coins minted in a smaller circulation that will have a higher value. The limited series can be explained by the fact that the mint did not keep up with the minting, and part of the order was transferred to the second. The hallmarks of Russian mints will help determine the manufacturer.

What is a stigma?

The Mint is a state-owned enterprise engaged in the manufacture of banknotes, orders, medals, commemorative signs, and minting of coins.

Stamp - a sign, designation of the enterprise at which the coin was made (minted). Letters, monograms, badges, drawings, and so on can serve as hallmarks of mints.

As noted earlier, on which mint - Moscow or St. Petersburg - minted a coin, its market value depends.

The first domestic coin, which has a stamp mint, - the ruble of 1975, dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War. The monogram (stamp) of the mint is minted at the bottom right of the image of the monument. Later on copper-nickel commemorative coins were not stamped with mints. In addition to domestic coins, the stamp of the Russian Mint (SPMD - St. Petersburg Mint) is on the change coins of Tajikistan.

Where are the hallmarks of the Russian mints placed on the coins?

In 1991, the hallmarks of the mints were the letters "M" and "L" - the Moscow and Leningrad Mints. On Soviet coins, the stamp was to the right of the coat of arms. Exception - 5 and g.

On coins of different denominations minted in 1991-1992 (the so-called GKChP issue) there are various signs of Russian mints. The letter "M" - 10 kopecks, the letter "L" - 50 kopecks, the monograms LMD and MMD - 1 ruble. On the coins of this period, the hallmarks of the mints are located under the denomination.

On all modern coins in circulation, the mints of Russia are indicated (designations - M, MMD, S-P, SPMD). On change coins (1-50 kopecks), S-P or M can be located under the horse's hoof. The letter "M" stands on coins minted by the Moscow Mint, "S-P" - St. Petersburg.

This principle is also observed on coins with a face value of 1, 2, 5 and 10 rubles. If you look closely, then on the coin on the left under the paw of the double-headed eagle you can see the monograms MMD or SPMD (Moscow or St. Petersburg Mint, respectively). However, there are also differences here - on coins of the same mint and the same year of minting, the stamp has a different location relative to the eagle's paw. The market value of products with an offset is slightly higher.

Why are some coins missing hallmarks?

It should also be noted that the mark of the Russian mints on the coin may not be. Most often, its absence is a manufacturing defect - the monogram or letter designation was simply forgotten to be applied during the manufacture of the stamp. To date, four coins without a stamp are known - 1 ruble 1993 (dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the birth of Vernadsky), 5 kopecks 2002 and 2003, 2 rubles 2001 with the image of Yuri Gagarin (40 years of the first human flight into the space). These coins are quite rare and, therefore, are of particular value to collectors.

As for Soviet coins, almost all of them have no hallmark. You can identify the mint by analyzing the coin itself in detail. Some features of the pattern of stamps allow you to determine the place of minting. The most obvious differences are in the letter designation on the coin.

History of the Moscow Mint (stamp M, MMD)

History of the St. Petersburg Mint (stamp L, S-P, SPMD)

The city in which the oldest operating mint in Russia is located is St. Petersburg. The Mint was founded in 1724 by Peter I. The Peter and Paul Fortress was chosen as the base. This enterprise is one of the largest mints in the world. Also, the building is a unique architectural monument and the oldest industrial enterprise cities. The Mint is engaged in the manufacture of insignia, orders, medals, minting of commemorative and commemorative coins, including coins made of precious metals.

Many beginners in numismatics are somewhat skeptical about definition of the mint who issued this coin. And let's say this is wrong for the future collector of rare coins. After all, knowledge of the mint sometimes helps to determine the market value of a rarity that has fallen into your hands. The same denomination issued by different mints can differ in price by several times.

So how to determine the mint on the coins of Russia. First you need to know that in modern Russia there are two mints: Moscow and St. Petersburg. And on modern coins their names are minted in the form of monograms: MMD and SPMD. On penny coins, the sign is on the reverse in the form of the letters M and S-P. Sometimes the designation of the court is absent on some coins. And as a result of such a marriage, the value of the coin grows significantly. Also, a novice collector should not be alarmed by the fact that the stamp of the Moscow Mint on the coins looks somewhat larger than the St. Petersburg one. This is the case.

To determine the mint for a numismatist, you may need a magnifying glass. But if circumstances permit, you can use a camera or scanner. But the last two methods are more suitable for old or worn coins. So a magnifying glass is the main tool of a numismatist.

But even with a magnifying glass, it is not always easy to find mint emblems on a coin. Therefore, we immediately suggest that on 10 ruble coins mint mark can be found on the obverse of the coin under its face value. The photo below clearly illustrates this.

And penny coins will please the collector with the letters M or S-P under the front hooves of the horse.

On the coins of the early nineties, the mints are marked on the front side of the coin in the form of the letters M (Moscow) or L (Leningrad).

Also, the mint can be identified by the edge (edge) of the coin - on MMD coins, the inscriptions have a more rounded shape than on SPMD coins.

Determine the mint by edge

Very often, when we read professional literature on numismatics, we come across terms of incomprehensible meaning. Many abbreviations and abbreviations confuse the novice collector. Just like now, I very often began to see the obliterations of MMD and SPMD without decoding, as if everyone already knows what it is and "what it is eaten with", and they also write that they need to be distinguished. So what are these mysterious letters? Let's take a look in detail.

To begin with, we will make a reservation that in the article we will consider only coins of the period of Modern Russia, i.e. from 1997 to the present day. Why is this important when talking about determining the differences between SPMD and MMD. The fact is that the abbreviations MMD and SPMD are nothing more than the Moscow Mint and the St. Petersburg Mint, respectively. It is in the form of such a pair of abbreviations that they are currently known, while earlier SPMD had the name LMD (Leningrad Mint) due to the former name of the city, and there were several "Moscow" mints in history, and so as not to make a dissertation from a short and understandable article we set a clear and understandable framework - we consider only coins of modern circulation.

Let's get down to business. Why is it important for a person who is keen on collecting coins to distinguish at which mint the coin was minted? There are two answers to this question:

• firstly, according to the mint, the coins receive the number of varieties, i.e. if, for example, a coin was minted only at MMD, then it has one variety in the mint, and if it was minted at both, then two, respectively. In a full-fledged collection, it is considered normal to have all varieties of collected coins, but if not all of them are collected, then the collection is considered incomplete;
• secondly, very often the price of a coin variety is extremely different depending on the mint of the manufacturer or even puts the coin in a number of rarities. Suppose a certain coin was minted on SPMD in the amount of 100 million copies (by numismatic standards, this is a lot), and on MMD - only 10 thousand pieces. Instantly, the price of "Moscow" copies will soar to very high limits, while "St. Petersburg", on the contrary, will practically not be appreciated.

So, why distinguish coins by mints, we sorted out, in principle, there should be no questions. Now closer to practice. I repeat, all modern coins are minted in our country at two mints: MMD and SPMD. Almost all coins (!!! there are very rare exceptions !!!) to determine the mint of the manufacturer bear a special stamp - the monogram (sign) of the mint or the letter designation. The Moscow Mint corresponds to - the monogram "MMD" or the letter "M", St. Petersburg, respectively - "SPMD" or "S-P".

Where can I find the mint mark (monogram) on a coin? To do this, we need a good eye or, if necessary, a simple magnifying device (Magnifier, it is also a magnifying glass, in extreme cases, grandmother's glasses are suitable. Asking your son to steal a Microscope from a biology class is NOT NEEDED! ;) The following two figures show modern coins . In the first row there are images of coins "in full height", the red "marker" highlights that part of the coin field, which we will consider with magnification. The second row shows the enlarged part of the corresponding coin, i.e. the place where the sign (monogram) of the mint is depicted.

What do we see in the first picture? As you may have guessed, here are the coins of the Moscow Mint. For clarity, the usual lottery 1 kopeck and 1 ruble are also presented here, but there is also a golden George the Victorious. Probably, you have already noticed that the monogram on the Ruble 1997 differs from the mint's monogram on the fifty-ruble coin. That's right, the Moscow Mint really changed the images of its trademark and this happened at the turn of 1997 and 1998.

In the second picture, respectively, all the coins are "St. Petersburg", completely different signs (monograms) tell us about this. Definitely, the St. Petersburg monogram often looks smaller and harder to read, but with some practice, you can learn to distinguish them without any optical devices. Well, now you, like me, as well as many other numismatists, know how to distinguish MMD from SPMD, why be able to do this, and even a little more. My advice to you, dear readers: do not be lazy, take out the coins you currently have and practice, and you can also combine this with a parallel view of coin price lists, this can be very useful occupation, because even among the usual small change there is a chance to find truly rare coins, you just have to start!

There are two mints in the Russian Federation: Moscow and St. Petersburg. They are engaged not only in the production of coins, but also in the production of orders and medals. In total, there are several dozen mints in the world, and each coin has an indication on which of them it was made. That's just on each coin the mint is defined differently.
Ask why it is necessary to determine the mint of a coin at all? This is one of the factors directly affecting the value of a coin in the numismatic market. Also, the cost is affected by the year of manufacture, product material, edge, condition and some other things.
Why does the value of a coin vary by mint? In many ways, this value is determined by the circulation of the coin, issued in a particular year at a particular mint. Relatively speaking, if in 2012 the Moscow Mint issued 4 million coins with a face value of 5 rubles, and the St. Petersburg Mint only 500 thousand, then the cost of the latter will be higher over time.

Mint mark on modern Russian coins

On modern Russian coins, the St. Petersburg Mint is abbreviated as SPMD on ruble coins and S-P on penny coins. The Moscow Mint is abbreviated as MMD on ruble coins and M on penny coins. It is curious that on the coins of 1992, the coins of the St. Petersburg Mint were marked with the seal L. There are also known cases of marriage, in which individual coins were issued without a mint designation. As a rule, such coins cost 10 times more than their face value.
Since the standard of production has long been established in mints, the place for indicating the mint is already strictly defined during manufacture. On kopecks (coins with a face value of 1 kopeck, 5 kopecks, 10 kopecks, 50 kopecks), the mint indication is stamped on the obverse of the coin, under the left hoof of the horse, as shown below.

For ruble coins (with a face value of 1 ruble, 2 rubles, 5 rubles, 10 rubles), the mint indication is stamped under the left paw of the double-headed eagle, in which the orb is located. On commemorative coins where there is no eagle image on the obverse, the mint stamp is on the side with the face value of the coin.
In most cases, it is enough to have sharp eyesight to detect the mint mark. However, if the badge was not found in this way, do not rush to rejoice that the coin is rare. You should carefully examine the coin with a magnifying glass or microscope.

As for Soviet coins, the mint mark began to be applied to them only from 1975. The first Soviet coins on which the mint mark appeared were: 1 ruble, dedicated to the fortieth anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and chervonets 1977. But on change coins, the mint mark began to be indicated only in 1990.

The mark of the mint on the coins of the Russian Empire

As for the older coins of the times Russian Empire, then there were several dozen courtyards on which coins were printed. It is quite difficult to find designations, since only on coins good quality the mint mark is quite clearly preserved. Nevertheless, consider the abbreviations that denoted certain mints.
AM. Found on coins of 1789-1796. The so-called Anninskaya coin was printed in c. Anninsky, Perm province. Mostly these were coins of 2 and 5 kopecks made of copper.
BK. Red and Naberezhny mints of Moscow. The BC reduction comes from the Big Treasury. Found on coins of the period 1704-1718.
VM (also M.W. and W.M.). Abbreviation for Warsaw Coin. It is found on coins of the period 1815-1915 (the period when the Kingdom of Poland became part of the Russian Empire).
THEM. Abbreviation for Izhora coin. Coins were printed in the period 1810-1821, mainly in denominations of 1 and 2 kopecks. Published in the village of Izhory near St. Petersburg.
KM. Abbreviation for Kolyvan coin. Coins were printed in the period 1767-1839. At first, only the so-called. Siberian coin, then from 1801 nationwide. The name comes from the Kolyvano-Voskresensky copper smelters Altai Territory on which the coins were issued.
MM. Abbreviation for Moscow Coin. Coins were printed in the period 1758-1795. It is found on coins in denominations of 1 and 2 kopecks.
CM. Abbreviation for Suzun coin. Coins were printed in the period 1831-1847 at the Nizhne-Suzunsky copper smelter (now located on the territory of the Novosibirsk region).
Also, the abbreviation SM was found on coins printed in Sestroretsk near St. Petersburg (1763-1767) and on St. Petersburg coins (of the Petersburg Court in 1797-1799 and the Bank Mint in 1799-1801).
TM. Abbreviation for Tauride Coin. They were printed in the city of Feodosia in the period 1787-1788. This "mint" is notable for the different denominations of issued coins, which was not typical of other regional "mints". So among the copper coins were issued in denominations from half a penny to 5 kopecks, and among silver coins from 2 to 20 kopecks.

By carefully studying all the available coins on sale, there is the best opportunity for a decent choice. Many coins are distinguished by the presence of the abbreviation SPMD, as well as MMD. What are the differences? What is important to pay attention to when studying symbols?

SPMD and MMD coins: what is it?

• SPMD is a designation that indicates the release in St. Petersburg.
• MMD indicates the official release in Moscow.

SPMD and MMD coins: general information about the difference

SPMD is one of the most famous and largest institutions of its kind in the world. It is planned to mint various commemorative and anniversary, as well as ordinary items using precious metals. The main focus is initially placed on coins. In most cases, government orders are fulfilled.

Successful activity started in 1724, and is currently glorifying St. Petersburg throughout Russia and neighboring countries. Manufactured modern products are offered with the abbreviation SPMD, which is the main difference. Modern coins boast the presence of an abbreviation under the bird's right foot. Previously, coins were issued with other designations in the form of letters, and their number turns out to be decent (7 options).

MMD is one of the most famous coin manufacturers. The company is engaged in minting coins, fulfilling orders from foreign countries and private customers. Products include investment, commemorative, precious metals of interest to numismatists. The institution has been successfully operating since 1942. The Moscow Mint, like the St. Petersburg Mint, is a member state association"Gosznak", which corresponds to the current situation on the market. However, on the manufactured products under the right paw of the eagle, the presence of the abbreviation MMD or M can be noted, which indicates a different issuing institution.

On penny coins, the abbreviations MMD, M are placed under the horse's hoof. This rule applies to both mints. In addition, sometimes coins do not have any letter designation because they are defective items and cannot be valued at face value.

SPMD and MMD coins: important differences

1. SPMD coins are issued by the St. Petersburg plant, MMD - by Moscow.
2. Old coins issued in St. Petersburg have different designations, despite the fact that Moscow products are presented in only two versions of designations.
3. The Moscow Mint carries out only individual orders. At the same time, the St. Petersburg Mint operates only on the basis of state orders.

It is important to note that both institutions are not limited to the issuance of coins, so the range of products is wide and varied.

Valuable coins MMD and SPMD

All numismatists know which products are the most valuable. In most cases, high popularity is assumed for the following options:

1. SPMD 5 rubles (2003). average cost- 6000 rubles. Circulation is minimal. The coin is made in the usual design. No wide piping, offset lettering, or unique patterns are expected. The only difference is the abbreviation of the manufacturer.
2. MMD 1 ruble (1997). This version The coin has a wide edging. In this case, the edging can be flat or protruding (steps on the reverse, as well as the obverse). Flat products are less common. The cost is 5000 - 8000 rubles.
3. 2 rubles (2003) SPMD. The limited edition led to a cost of 8,000 rubles.
4. 1 ruble (2003) SPMD. The average price is 10 thousand rubles. Minimum circulation expected. As a result, the value of the coins significantly exceeds the face value.
5. 1 ruble (2001) MMD. The coin is valued at 30 thousand rubles. In Russia, there are several design options in everyday life. Despite the official release of everyday life, the circulation started. The number of items issued is unknown, but it indicates the rarity of the coin. The maximum cost in the ideal condition of the product reaches 30,000 rubles.
6. 2 rubles (2001) MMD. Official minting has not started. 2-ruble coins managed to get into circulation, but without an official indication of the amount issued. The right to become the owner of valuable products will cost a couple of tens of thousands of rubles.
7. 50 kopecks (2001) MMD. The price starts from one hundred thousand rubles (the most bad condition products), but if you want a better copy, it is recommended to count on an additional 20 thousand rubles to the initial cost. There is no reliable information, at least on a single sale of manufactured products.
8. 5 rubles (1999) SPMD. The price exceeds 250,000 rubles, which indicates the most expensive domestic products. There is currently only one copy. Unique design it is almost impossible to repeat, and it is he who gives special value to coins.

Each numismatist is able to choose exactly the offer that actually meets his needs and financial capabilities.