How to identify a mint coin. How to identify a mint on a coin

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

So how do you define a mint on Russian coins. 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 cheap coins, the sign is on the reverse in the form of the letters M and C-P. Sometimes, on some coins, the courtyard designation is missing. And as a result of such a marriage, the value of a coin grows significantly. Also, a novice collector should not be alarmed by the fact that the stamp of the Moscow Mint on coins looks somewhat more than St. Petersburg. This is the case.

To determine the mint for numismatists, you may need a magnifying glass. But if circumstances permit, you can use a camera or scanner. But the last two ways are more suitable for old or shabby coins. So a magnifying glass is the main tool of 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 a coin under its denomination. In the photo below, this is clearly illustrated.

A penny coin will please the collector with the letters M or C-P under the horse's front hooves.

On the coins of the early nineties, mints are indicated 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.

For ordinary coins that are in a walker, the mint emblems are on the reverse of the coin under the eagle's paw on the right side. Monograms of mints are standard, so you can easily distinguish between them.

Here. Now you know how to determine the mint on a coin and you can arrange all your coins not only in order, but also delimit the mints, like a real numismatist professional.

In Russia, only two mints issue coins - these are Moscow and St. Petersburg. I talked about them in sufficient detail in articles. But so far, many beginner numismatists and ordinary coin owners are constantly confused in them, and sometimes I can not find the location of the mint stamp on a coin. Because of this, it is not possible to accurately determine the market value of a coin, because the same face value issued by different mints, although in rare cases, differs in price.

So, on modern coins of Russia, including jubilee, you can find two abbreviations of mints: MMD and SPMD. The first, as you know, belongs to the Moscow Mint, the second, respectively, to St. Petersburg. But it happens that the mint is not indicated, as it was with. In this case, the coin automatically becomes rare and expensive.

On penny coins, the letters M and C-P are used to designate the mint. They are located on the front side of the coin with the image of a horseman with a spear, under the hoof of his horse.

On ordinary ruble coins, including and, the mint mark is located on the reverse side under the right paw of the eagle. And, as mentioned above, is designated MMD or SPMD. They are easy enough to distinguish, but if you see poorly, I recommend using a magnifying glass.

As you remember, there are two types of 10 ruble commemorative coins: bimetallic and steel. The mint mark on bimetallic coins is located on the front side under the face value. The mint mark on steel coins is located on the right under the stylized image of a branch of a plant.

The Bank of Russia also issues commemorative coins in denominations of 2 and 5 rubles. On them, the mint mark is located on the front of the coin to the right of the edging (inside the branch of the plant).

And the last coins -

The front side of the coin. The obverse of modern rubles depicts a double-headed eagle, on kopeks - a horseman piercing a snake with a spear. In Soviet coins, the obverse is the one where the emblem of the USSR is depicted.

The side of the coin, opposite the obverse. The reverse of modern Russian coins is decorated with floral ornaments, on this side the denomination is indicated by a number.

Hert - side surface of the coin.

Kant - a narrow protruding strip along the edge of the coin, performing the function of protecting its relief from wear.

Mint sign

Mint sign - trademark of the manufacturer. On modern rubles, the mint is indicated by the abbreviations SPMD (St. Petersburg Mint) or MMD (Moscow Mint), in kopecks in block letters "S-P" (St. Petersburg) or "M" (Moscow). The trademark is located on the obverse of the coin: in rubles, it should be sought under the paw of an eagle, in copecks, under the front hoof of a horse. An exception is commemorative (anniversary) metal money, in which the mint mark is located in other places, for example, between the branches of a floral ornament.

Mint mark on modern kopeks:

Letter "M"	The letters "S"

Possible options for designating a monetary enterprise on banknotes 1992-1993:

M - Moscow Mint	L - Leningrad Mint

MMD - Moscow Mint	LMD - Leningrad Mint

Coin Preservation Degrees

The condition of the coin (coin safety) is one of the main factors affecting its collection value.

The following degrees of preservation of the coin are distinguished:

Uncirculated (UNC) - Superior Condition. In this state, the coin should not have any signs of attrition, and all its details of the picture are usually clearly distinguishable. Coins in this state often have an original "hammered" gloss on the entire surface of their surface. In this case, the presence of minor traces of storage in bags in the form of small nicks or scratches and some other shortcomings is permissible.
About Uncirculated (AU, less commonly aUNC) - almost excellent condition. The coin has minimal, barely noticeable scuffs.
Extremely Fine (XF) - excellent condition. Coins in excellent condition have a very slight attrition of the most prominent small elements of the picture. Usually at least 90 - 95% of small parts are clearly distinguishable on them.
Very Fine (VF) - very good condition.. Metallic money already has a very noticeable fray, and somewhat smoothed details of the picture (as a rule, only about 75% of the details of the picture are clearly distinguishable).
Fine (F) - good condition. Good condition is determined by the pronounced wear of the surfaces due to the long stay of the banknote in circulation. Visible to about 50% of the original details of the picture.
Very Good (VG) - satisfactory condition. Significant abrasion of the entire surface. In Very Good condition, as a rule, only about 25% of the initial elements of the picture are retained.
Good (g) - weak condition Very intense scuffing. Usually, the largest design details are usually distinguishable.

Varieties

Collecting coins by variety is gaining popularity these days. Varieties are called copies of coins of the same denomination, year of issue, mint, which have any differences:

in the stamps used for minting the obverse and (or) reverse,
on the design and inscriptions on the edge,
material of which the coin is made.

The most popular catalogs of varieties of coins of modern Russia are:

Types of coin marriage

The numismatic value of defective banknotes in some cases is an order of magnitude higher than standard copies. The most common types of coin marriage are:

1. Bite (moon)

Defect in the production of blanks. Such a marriage is formed during a failure in the supply of a metal tape and if the tape is not completely displaced, then a semicircular “bite” from the previous cutting remains on the newly cut circle. Only specimens with pronounced bites or several bites on one coin are valued. The price of such coins at auctions usually does not exceed 1000 rubles.

2. Not minted

Non-minted images on a coin can appear both as a result of wear of working stamps, and as a result of insufficient impact force when minting. It occurs quite often. Of interest are only coins with strong non-minting, in which case the price of a coin can exceed 1000 rubles.

One of the most common types of coin marriage. This type of marriage is formed when using a destroyed stamp. A cracked stamp during coinage forms a convex line on the coin, starting from its edge. Of interest to collectors are only specimens with a pronounced split of the stamp going from edge to edge. The cost of such banknotes usually starts at 100 rubles and in some cases can exceed 1000 rubles.

4. The rotation of the obverse relative to the reverse

In the case of using stamps fixed with a certain rotation relative to each other for stamping, a marriage called “rotation” is obtained. The rotation angle can be from 0 to 180 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. The price of copies with this type of marriage depends on the bias. The higher the angle, the more expensive the "turn" is estimated, but rarely when the cost of modern coins with a turn exceeds 1000 rubles.

Other types of marriage are much less common and are described in a separate article.

Where to sell a coin?

We have prepared a special one. We compared the best of them, indicating the advantages of each. You will also receive 10 recommendations that will maximize the benefits of the sale!

Very often, when we read professional literature on numismatics, we come across incomprehensible meanings of the term. Many abbreviations and abbreviations confuse the collector's newbie. Now, like now, I very often began to see the MMB and SMD headbands without decoding, as if everyone already knows what it is and "what it is eaten with", and also write that they need to be distinguished. So what are these mysterious letters? Let's take a closer look.

To begin with, we make a reservation that 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 identifying 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, earlier SPMD was called LMD (Leningrad Mint) due to the former name of the city, and there were several “Moscow” mints in history, and in order 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 keen on collecting coins to distinguish on which mint a coin is minted? There are two answers to this question:

firstly, in the mint, the coins get the number of varieties, i.e. if, for example, a coin was minted only on MMD, then it has one variety in the mint, and if it was minted on both, then two respectively. In a full-fledged collection, it is considered normal to have all varieties of coins collected, but if they are not all collected, then the collection is considered incomplete;
secondly, very often the price of a type of coin is extremely different depending on the mint of the manufacturer or even puts the coin in a number of rarities. Let’s say 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 the "St. Petersburg", on the contrary, will practically not be appreciated.

So, why we distinguish between mints by mints, 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 identify the manufacturer’s mint bear a special brand - the monogram (sign) of the mint or the letter designation. The Moscow Mint corresponds to the monogram "MMD" or the letter "M", and to the St. Petersburg Mint, respectively, "SPMD" or "S-P".

Where to find the sign (monogram) of the mint on a coin? To do this, we need a good eye or, if necessary, a simple magnifying device (Magnifier, it’s a magnifying glass, grandmother’s glasses are suitable in extreme cases. Ask your son to steal a Microscope from the biology class - DO NOT NEED!;) The following two figures show modern coins . In the first row are the images of coins "in full growth", the part of the coin field that we will consider with increasing is highlighted with a red "marker". The second row shows an 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, the coins of the Moscow Mint are presented here. For clarity, here are presented the usual circulation of 1 kopeck and 1 ruble, but there is also the golden George the Victorious. You probably already noticed that the monogram on the Ruble 1997 is different from the monogram of the mint on a fifty-ruble coin. That's right, the Moscow Mint really changed the image 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 poorly readable, 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 it, and even a little more. My advice to you, dear readers: do not be lazy, get the coins you have now and exercise, and you can also combine this with viewing the Price Tags for coins in parallel, this can be very useful, because even in the middle of a small change, there is a chance to find truly rare coins, just get started!