USSR COINS

USSR kopeks

2 kopek, 1990

Weight: 2gm

Metal: Brass

Diameter: 18mm

3 kopek, 1990

Weight: 3gm

Metal: Aluminium-Bronze

Diameter: 22.05mm

5 kopek, 1976

Weight: 5gm

Metal: Aluminium-Bronze

Diameter: 25.1mm

10 kopek, 1991

15 kopek 1988

Weight: 2.5gm

Metal: Copper-nickel-zinc

Diameter: 19.5mm

20 kopek, 1986

Weight: 3.3gm

Metal: copper-nickel-zinc

Diameter: 22mm

50 kopek, 1964

Weight: 4.4gm

Metal: copper-nickel-zinc

Diameter: 24.05mm

1 Rouble: 160th anniversary-birth of Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy was born in Yasyana Polyana, in the Tula district of Russia. The Tolstoys were a rich and influential family being the nobility. The initial part of his marriage was marked by sexual passion and emotional insensitivity as on marriage eve he handed his wife-to-be Sophie a diary which stated his philandering and libertarian ways, including the mention of a serf bearing birth to his son. But this did not hamper his marriage at all, and ostensibly all went smoothly.

War and peace is widely regarded as one the best ever novels, and is definitely Tolstoy's most renowned novel. In the novel he covered more than 800 characters; from a family room to Napoleon Boanaparte, from Tsar Alexander to the battefields of Borodino. He made his attempt at discovering about the war, and made clear that people like Napoleon and Alexander were insignificant as individuals. Interestingly, he did not consider War and Peace to be a novel, in sync with the zeitgiest of his times. He considered Anna Karenina to be his first novel. His novels bore profound influence of his own life experiences and many characters in his books were apparently blueprinted on his own character. He had contrastingly adverse reactions on reading Shakespeare: "Several times I read the dramas and the comedies and historical plays, and I invariably underwent the same feelings: repulsion, weariness, and bewilderment. At the present time, before writing this preface, being desirous once more to test myself, I have, as an old man of seventy-five, again read the whole of Shakespeare, including the historical plays, the "Henrys," "Troilus and Cressida," the "Tempest," "Cymbeline," and I have felt, with even greater force, the same feelings,—this time, however, not of bewilderment, but of firm, indubitable conviction that the unquestionable glory of a great genius which Shakespeare enjoys, and which compels writers of our time to imitate him and readers and spectators to discover in him non-existent merits,—thereby distorting their esthetic and ethical understanding,—is a great evil, as is every untruth."

In 1908, he wrote a letter to an Indian newspaper titled "A letter to a Hindu" which led to his correspondence with a young Mahatma Gandhi, who was then in South Africa, and was deeply infuenced to move unto the path of non-violence. Tolstoy was against the idea of a violent revolution. The two men also shared their ideals of celibacy, self abstinence and vegitarianism. Gandhi acknowledged the debt in his autobiography as: "The greatest apostle of non-violence that the present age has produced." The correspondence, however, lasted only for a year until 1909.

Tolstoy's ideas became more radical in the later part of his life. He started believing he was unworthy and undeserving of the vast wealth that he had inherited, for one. He was known to dispense large sums of money to vagrants, street beggers and needy peasants, much to the chagrin of his wife. He had been mooting the aspect of leaving his inherited wealth for many decades and in the winter of 1910, he decided to leave his fortune and family and start leading an ascetic life even though he had not been keeping well. He suffered from pneumonia and after a few days, collapsed near Apastavo station. His personal doctors were called for but they could do nothing. He passed away at the age of 82.

1 rouble: 175 years-birth of T.H. Shevchenko

Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko is known as the father of modern Ukrainian literature. He also wrote in Russian and created many works as a painter and an illustarator.

He was born in 1814 in the village of Moryntsi in what is now Ukraine. By birth and heritage he was a serf(unfree peasant), orphaned at the age of 11. His painting skills caught the eye of the contemporaries and the Russian painter and professor Karl Bruillov donated a portrait, the proceeds of which were used to buy his freedom.

He started writing poetry when he was still a serf and in 1840, his first collection of poetry, Kobzar was published. Later on he made three trips to Ukraine, then under Russian empire, and he was moved by the poverty and the difficult conditions in which his countrymen lived. He proceeded to create an album titled picturesque Ukraine.

In 1845, he met the Brotherhood of the saints Cyril and Methodius, dedicated to liberation from the imperial rule. There was subsequent suppression of the society and in a search his poem "The Dream" was found. The poem was extremely critical of Tsar Nicholas I and his wife. So he was arrested along with members of the society and his punishment was the severest. He was exiled and put into prison and the Tsar took away his liberty to write or paint. But the Tsar's enforcement was weak and he continued to create new works and masterpieces.It was only in 1859 that he returned from exile.

Shevchenko died in 1861 following his harsh exiles and some illness. He died seven days before the serfs were emanciapted, and his works are revered in Ukrainians and his impact on Ukraine literature is immense.

1 Rouble: Moscow olympics 1980

Diameter: 31mm

Metal: copper-nickel

1 Rouble: 20 years of world war II victory

Obverse: Odin rouble, meaning one rouble beneath CCCP (the russian equivalent of USSR) and the national insignia.
Theme: 20 years of the victory in the second world war over Germany
Year: 1945+20=1965

1 Rouble: 70 years of the Bolshevik revolution

The diameter os the one rouble coins: 31mm. This one marks 70 years of the revolution in 1917. So this was minted in 1987. On the reverse we can see the year 1917. We can also see 70 let , with let meaning years in Russian, the soviet symbol of hammer and sickle. USSR was a communist country. The hammer symbolizes the worker or the labourer and the sickle stands for the farmer.

The ship shown in the picture is most probably Admiral Gorshkov, the aircraft carrier of the soviet union.

1 Rouble: Constantin Tsiolkovsky

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was a true visionary and pioneer of astronautics. He theorized many aspects of human space travel and rocket propulsion decades before others, and played an important role in the development of the Soviet and Russian space programs.

He was born on September 17,1857, in the village of Ijevskoe, Ryasan Province, Russia, the son a a Polish forester who had emigrated to Russia. He was not from a rich family, but a very large one; Konstantin Tsiolkovsky had 17 brothers and sisters. At the age of 10 he lost his hearing as the result of scarlet fever. After that he couldn't attend school, and he never recieved any formal education. The knowledge and education he attained were acheived by himself. His books were his teachers, and he read every book in his father's library. Tsiolkovsky later remembered that his hearing loss influenced greatly his future life: during all his life he tried to prove to himself and to others that he was better and more clever than others, even with his disability.

In 1873-1876 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky lived in Moscow. During this time he visited the main Moscow libraries, among them the well known Pashkov House Library. It was in this fashion that he received his self-education. While in Moscow, Tsiolkovsky was tutored by the eccentric and brilliant Russian philosopher Nikolai Fedorovitch Fedorov, who was working in a Moscow library at the time. Fedorov was a leading proponent of Russian Cosmism, and gave Tsiolkovsky a place to work in the library. In many ways, he took the place of the university lecturers that Tsiolkovsky never had access to. At the age of17, while living in Moscow, he first dreamed about the possibility of space flight. He was, in part, inspired by the novels of Jules Verne. Since that time he started to think about the problems of space vehicle design. His great purpose was not simply to go into outer space, but to live in space, for humainity to become a space civilization.

In 1876-1879, after his coming back to his father's home, he lived in Vyatka and Ryasan. After passing his exams, he recieved his Teacher's Certificate, and went to work as a math teacher in Borovsk, Kaluga Province.

In 1880-1892 Tsiolkovsky lived in Borovsk and worked as a teacher. At that time he began his scientific research in air baloon building, life in free space, aerodynamics and philosophy. It was also at that time that he married. His wife, Barbara E. Sokolova, was the daughter of the local preacher. Together, they had 3 daughters and 4 sons.

In 1892-1935 he lived and worked in Kaluga. His moving to Kaluga was the result of a teaching promotion. He lived in the house that is now a part of the museum complex with his family from the year 1904 until his death in 1935. It was here in Kaluga that he became a well known scientist, and where he wrote and published his theories of space flight and inter-planetary travels. In Kaluga he wrote his Cosmic Philosophy, and he dreamed about the far distant future of humanity, including the eventual conquest of space and our leaving the cradle of the planet Earth for the stars. He was made a member of the Soviet Academy of Science in 1919.

He received a government pension in 1920, and continued to work and write about space. Upon the publication of the works of German rocket pioneer Herman Oberth in 1923, his works were revised and published more widely, and he finally earned some international recognition for his ideas. He wrote over 500 scientific papers, and, even though he never created any rockets himself, he influenced many young Russian engineers and designers. Tsiolkovsky lived to see a younger generation of Russian engineers and scientists begin to make his visionary concepts reality. Among these was Sergey Korolev, who would become the "Chief Designer" of the Soviet space program, who launched humanity into space with Sputnik, Laika, and the launch of the first cosmonaut,Yuri Gagarin.

Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, the father of cosmonautics, died in Kaluga at the age of 78 on September 19,1935. He received an honored State funeral from the Soviet government. He was buried in the old Kaluga Cemetery, not far from the Museum that honors his life and work.

The tomb of Tsiolkovsky in the Old Kaluga Cemetery, near the Museum.

1 Rouble: V.I.Lenin's centenary

Reverse: Odin Rouble, or one rouble
Circumscribing lettering: 100 years of birth of Lenin
Obverse: Vladimir Illyich Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, the man behind the October revolution

1 Rouble: 60 years of Bolshevik revolution

The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 was initiated by millions of people who would change the history of the world as we know it. When Czar Nicholas II dragged 11 million peasants into World War I, the Russian people became discouraged with their injuries and the loss of life they sustained. The country of Russia was in ruins, ripe for revolution.

Then came Vladimir Illyich Lenin, back from exile in the spring of 1917 and he joined the Bolshevik party(Bolshevik means majority). In October 1917, the Bolsheviks stormed the winter palace and overthrew the Czar in a coup d'etat. The new government was made up of soviets, and led by the Bolsheviks. The other party that came into prominence were the Mensheviks, meaning the minority; and a bi-party system came into USSR.

The October revolution was actually held in November but it is called so because it was the month of October according to the then calendar system in Russia

1 Rouble: 40 years of victory in second world war


1 Rouble: 30th anniversary of world war II
This is the world war two memorial in Volgograd, Russia.

1 Rouble: 175 years of battle of Borodino

This is the Raevsky monument, erected in 1911 in memory of those who died in the battle of Borodino.

1 Rouble: 175 years of battle of Borodino

Both these coins are commemoratives on the battle of Borodino. The battle of Borodino was a big battle between Russia and Napoleon.

The Battle of Borodino (Russian: Бородинская битва, Borodinskaya bitva; French: Bataille de la Moskowa), fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties. The French Grande Armée under Emperor Napoleon Iattacked the Imperial Russian army of General Mikhail Kutuzov near the village of Borodino, west of the town of Mozhaysk, and eventually captured the main positions on the battlefield, but failed to destroy the Russian army. About a third of Napoleon's soldiers were killed or wounded; Russian losses, while heavier, could be replaced due to Russia's large population, since Napoleon's campaign took place on Russian soil.

The battle itself ended with the disorganized Russian Army out of position and ripe for complete defeat. The state of the French forces and the lack of recognition of the state of the Russian Army led Napoleon to remain on the battlefield with his army instead of the forced pursuit that had marked other campaigns that he had conducted in the past. The battle at Borodino was a pivotal point in the campaign, as it was the last offensive action fought by Napoleon in Russia. By withdrawing, the Russian army preserved its combat strength, eventually allowing them to force Napoleon out of the country.

Poet Mikhail Lermontov romanticized the battle in his poem Borodino. Apart from these two commemorative coins, the Raevsky monument shown above has also been erected in memory of the martyrs.

1 Rouble: Frederick Engels

Frederick Engels or Friedrich Engels was the foremost propounder of Socialism, along with Karl Marx. USSR being a known socialist country, it is little wonder that USSR has released commemoratives on these two personalities.

1 Rouble: M.Y.Lermontov

Mikhail Lermontov(1814-1841) was born in Moscow. His mother, Maria Mikhailovna Lermontova, an heiress to rich estates, belonged to the prominent Stolypin family. She died of consumption in 1817. Yuri Petrovich Lermontov, his father, was a poor army officer. After the death of Maria Mihkailovna, he left his son's upbringing to Yelizaveta Alexeyevna Arsenyeva, his wealthy grandmother. In the new home Mikhail became the subject of family disputes between his grandmother and father, who was not allowed to participate in the upbringing. Lermontov received an extensive education at home, but it included doubtful aspects: in his childhood he was dressed in a girl's frock to act as a model for a painter.

Posted By :Shubham Gupta