What does spmd mean? What is the difference between spmd and mmd coins

The first in Russia Mint appeared in 1534 in Moscow. In the period from 1697 to 1701 in Moscow, there were already 5 enterprises for minting money. In 1724, by decree of Peter I, the same enterprise was founded in St. Petersburg, which after 1826 became the only one in the Russian Empire. In Moscow, coin minting was resumed only in 1942 at the newly built enterprise.

In the Soviet Union, coins were produced at the Moscow and Leningrad enterprises. They were minted without a sign until 1991. In 1991, on the obverse appeared the trademark of the company minting a coin. The letter “M” is the designation of the Moscow Mint, and “L” is Leningradsky. Signs were located in the lower part of the obverse of the coin to the right of the coat of arms of the USSR.

After the collapse of the USSR, a monetary reform took place, the appearance of the coins, their weight changed, and some other denominations appeared. On the first GKChP coins, the trademark was put on the reverse under the face value, and the markings remained the same. In mid-1991, new hallmarks began to appear on coins of 1 ruble and higher, namely “MMD” - Moscow Mint and “LMD” - Leningradsky. Now the coins were minted with different letters: “M”, “L”, “MMD”, “LMD” depending on the face value. This continued until 1993. In 1993, after another monetary reform, the mint mark “M”, “L” finally disappeared.

After renaming Leningrad to St. Petersburg, the stigma also changed. Since 1997, coins with the “SPMD” sign began to be minted, which meant St. Petersburg Mint. Moscow designation remains the same - “MMD”. Each coin minting company began to stamp two samples on the obverse side. On a trifle up to 50 kopecks, Moscow puts “M”, and the St. Petersburg SP and it is located under the hoof of a horse raised. From 1 ruble and above - “MMD” and “SPMD”, respectively. At these values, the sign is placed under the right paw of the eagle.

On modern commemorative coins, the mint mark is in different places, depending on the face value. On coins of 2 rubles and 5 rubles, it is located on the reverse on the right side between the curls of the branch. On a bimetallic coin in denominations of 10 rubles - in the center on the reverse under the coin value. On ten-ruble brass coated steel coins issued since 2009, the sign is placed on the reverse side on the right side under a branch next to the year of issue.

Gallery of signs

Since the founding of the Russian Empire, there have been many enterprises minting money. Each enterprise had its own designation. Below are the names and signs of the mints of Tsarist Russia.

AM - Anninsky
BC - Red, Embankment
BM - St. Petersburg
VM - Warsaw
ЕМ - Ekaterinburg
IM - Kolpinsky (Izhora)
KD - Red
KM - Kolyvan, Suzun, Kolpinsky (Izhora)
M, MD, MDD, MDZ, MM, MOSCOW - Kadashevsky
MMD - Red
MW - Warsaw
ND, NDD, NDZ - Naberezhny
SM - Sestroretsky (on the nickels of 1763-1767)
SM - Petersburg (on coins 1797-1799 gg.)
С - Banking (on gold and silver money 1799-1801)
SM - Suzunsky (on money 1798)
SP - St. Petersburg
SP - Banking (on gold and silver coins of 1800)
SPB - St. Petersburg (on the money 1724-1796 and 1805-1914)
SPB - Banking (on gold and silver coins of 1801-1805)
SPB - Paris and Strasbourg (on a change of silver in 1861 without an Minsmeister sign)
SP - Birmingham (on copper coins 1896-1898)
SPB - St. Petersburg Rosencrantz Plant (on coppers1899-1901 gg.)
SPM - St. Petersburg Mint
SPM - Kolpinsky (Izhora) (copper 1840-1843)
TM - Tauride

Hello dear readers. In this article, we will talk about how to distinguish mints by their designations on coins. An already beginning collector, looking at catalogs, sees that coins of certain years are distributed among the MMD and SPMD groups. Most of them confine themselves to looking at price tags, noting that coins, where under the hoof of a horse appear “S-P”, and under the paw of an eagle say “”, are sometimes more expensive than their Moscow sisters. However, those who intend to study the issue more deeply should understand that most varieties of the catalog are based on how exactly the initials of the mints of Russia are located on the coin field relative to other elements of the picture.

The designation of mints on the coins of modern Russia

After the monetary reform of 1997, the minting of metal settlement marks for cash payments in full took up both mints. For the mark of penny denominations decided to use mint initials - the letters "M" and "S-P". They decided to leave the location traditional: on the right side of the lower half of the coin field. Since George the Victorious, smashing a snake, occupies the kopecks with the date "1997" and later, it turned out that the letters found themselves under the reared hoof of the hero’s four-legged companion. They look there quite harmoniously. Ruble denominations adorn no longer letters, but logos mints.

The elongated logo of the mint of St. Petersburg almost imperceptibly survived the transformation from LMD to SPMD. But the emblem of the Moscow court has evolved somewhat. In 1997, the monogram, including the three letters "", was inscribed in an almost even circle. The emblem looked large and took up a lot of space on the coin field. Apparently for unification since 1998, the Moscow emblem appears in a flattened version and more modest sizes. However, it still looks more rounded than the SPMD logo.

For anniversary coins, one of the sides is completely given to the drawing, therefore issuer's designation "Bank of Russia" moves to the side where the denomination is located. The mint logo also goes there. For bimetallic coins of ten-ruble denomination, it is located in the center of the lower half of the coin field under the inscription "RUBLES". This is important to know, because coins with the same pattern may have different prices depending on which mint has issued one or another instance.

A case in point is when the mint designation is missing. It should be distinguished when it is a recognized variety (5 kopeks of 2002 or 2003 or a jubilee kopeck piece with Gagarin), and when the letter or logo is missing as a result of a banal non-piercing (50 kopeks of 2007 or dozens of bimetal). In the first case, you have enough valuable coin. The second case is a frequent coin defect and not a lot of money).

Scroll the pages of history back. In Soviet times, most of the coins were minted at the Leningrad Mint, therefore, the issue of designating the place of minting was updated only with the connection of the Moscow yard to mass issues of the circulation vodogovka. The exception is anniversary ruble “30 years of Victory”, where a careful look can reveal the elongated LMD logo to the right of the pedestal on which the grandiose monument “Motherland” is installed.

"MMD" and "LMD" on gold coins of the USSR

Mint abbreviations are also present on gold pieces, which from the mid-seventies he was ready to mint in the calculation of their purchase by wealthy Western tourists who had gathered at the Moscow Olympics. Here, one should turn to the 1981 Leningrad chervonets, which is a recognized rarity, while the Moscow coin with the same date does not stand out from the rest.

In the late eighties, experienced numismatists easily distinguished yards by date digits. But 1991 showed the letter "L" or "M" to the right of the coat of arms of the USSR (depending on whether they minted them at the Leningrad or Moscow Mint). We will see the same letters on coins of 10 and 50 kopecks new coinnicknamed collectors "GKChP". Ruble denominations have already acquired the brand names of the yards. Fives of 1991 have to put in albums in two versions. But more interesting is the situation with dozens of bimetallic ones. An elongated LMD logo separates ordinary coins from very rare specimens, where we will see a rounded MMD emblem.

And for fives and rubles with the date "1992" in the albums prepared as many as three nests. The Moscow Mint first minted coins with the logo, but after that the letter "M" appeared instead. In Leningrad, initially they began to mint these denominations exclusively with the letter "L". Of the trio of fives of the year, coins with an emblem are less common, although even they are not so difficult to find when systematically viewing heaps in those regions that were served by the Moscow Mint.

The designation of mints on the coins of tsarist Russia

Let's look into the history even deeper. If we take the fourteenth century, then the presence of the mint could boast of such cities as Ryazan, Novgorod, Pskov and Tver. True, rough blacksmithing technologies were mainly used here. Leadership gradually passed to the breech mint, created in 1534 in Moscow. And under Alexei Mikhailovich, the activities of nonresident mints were temporarily discontinued, and coinage was concentrated in Moscow. In 1697, the Red Court opens, also referred to as Chinese because of its location near Kitai Gorod. He was measured the age of life, and during this period the coins issued at his facilities received the designation "KD", "MD" and "MM". Among Moscow yards, we also note Kadashevsky, who also had the designation "MD", but besides this also "MDZ", "DMD", "M" and "MOSCOW". For minting kopecks of silver and copper coins on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, the Naberezhny Mint, designated as “ND” and “NDZ”, operated.

But here rebuilt St. Petersburg, which received metropolitan status, where the Petersburg Mint opens in 1721. Starting from 1724, it was he who was given the right to mint silver coins. Initially, it was located right in the Peter and Paul Fortress, but by the nineteenth century it was being moved to Sadovaya Street, giving it the area of \u200b\u200bthe Assignation Bank, and then to a special building in Petropavlovsk. Over the years of its existence, he received the following designations: "BM", "SM", "SP", "SPM" and "SPB".

The vast expanses of Russia did not allow the transport of a sufficient number of coins, while the need for them only increased in connection with the successful expansion to the east. It was necessary to establish the minting of money in the newfound territories. So appear mints in Yekaterinburg ("EM"), the village of Anninsky of the Perm province ("AM"), Sestroretsk ("SM"). The Suzunsky Mint (“KM” and “SM”) also worked successfully. The Kolpinsky Yard provided money to Siberian lands (in different years - “IM”, “KM” and “SPM”). Coins of Tiflis were minted on the southern borders and Theodosius was extremely short-lived (“ТМ” - “Tauride coin”). Poland as a part of Russia had a rather large degree of independence, including its own mint in Warsaw. The coins minted there have the designations "MW", "WM" (Warszawska mennica) and "VM" (Warsaw coin).

Just do not confuse the designation of the mint with the initials of the mitzmeister. Traditionally, on small and medium denominations, letters signifying the name and surname of the Mintmeister were placed on the obverse under the eagle, and we will see affiliation with the mint on the reverse under the denomination designation. In determining the value of a coin in imperial Russia, the initials of mints are important. A coin of the same denomination with the same date could be minted in bulk by one mint, and the other issued it in an extremely limited edition. For example, 42,450,000 copies of two kopecks were minted with the date "1812" and the letters "IM", in Yekaterinburg (designation "EM") they made as many as 132,085,700 coins, while the letters "KM" received only 250 thousand coins.

Graphic and lettering on foreign coins

In conclusion, a few words about foreign coins. For the European year, sometimes the mint is also crucial. So complete collection of euro-couples should include five copies of the same German coin, distinguished by only one letter: A (Berlin), D (Munich), F (Stuttgart), G (Karlsruhe) or J (Hamburg). In the USA, at modern cents and dollars, mints are also distinguished by a single-letter character: D (Denver), O (New Orleans), P (Philadelphia), S (San Francisco) and W (West Point - only precious metals).

However, not all countries use lettering. So Paris Mint France uses the cornucopia as a symbol, and we will see caduceus on coins Royal Mint The Netherlands. However, here one should not confuse the logo of the mint with a graphic designation of its director, which can change periodically when the position changes hands.

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!

Many investors began their journey of investing in gold precisely by collecting expensive coins. Let's see what the rarest coins of Russia can bring you a good income. What coins are in demand at the present time, and how to make a hobby bring money?

The rarest and most expensive coins of Russia

Let's start with the coins of the USSR and up to the present, coins. Before we begin, let's clarify the basic terms:

SPMD - St. Petersburg Mint;
MMD - Moscow Mint;
BOMD - No mint designation.

5 kopecks of 2002 BOMD

The cost of a simple coin of 5 kopecks in 2002 is very low (only 2-3 rubles). But together with them were issued and rare for the time coins of 5 kopecks in 2002 without a mint designation. On a coin of this denomination, the mint mark is located under the horse's left hoof. The cost of 2500-3500 thousand rubles.

50 kopecks of 2001 MMD

This coin can safely be called a "collector's dream." It was not launched into circulation, and there were no facts of sale either. But it is known that the coin was minted in MMD. It is made of brass and has a characteristic yellow hue, and 105 grooves can be counted on the edge. The cost of 100,000 - 120,000 rubles.

1 ruble 1997 MMD

Among coins of the face value of 1 ruble in 1997, there is a fairly valuable copy. The main difference is a wide edging, which can be either flat or with a small step. The coin was minted at the Moscow Mint Palace. The cost of 4000-8000 rubles.

1 ruble of 2003 SPMD

Such rubles have a very limited edition and were minted exclusively in SPMD. On the edge, 110 corrugations can be counted, the alloy of the coin is copper and nickel, so it is not attracted by a magnet. The cost of 10,000 rubles.

1 ruble of 2001 MMD

Another very rare ruble. It was minted in 2001 by the MMD, and was not supposed to go into circulation. But for unknown reasons, an indefinite amount nevertheless fell into the hands. The coin, like the previous one, has a copper-nickel alloy and is not attracted by a magnet. It can be easily confused with the ruble issued in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The cost of 30,000 rubles.

2 rubles with Yu.A. Gagarin, 2001 BOMD

In 2001, in honor of the 40th anniversary of manned space flight, a coin was issued with a portrait of Yu.A. Gagarin. It was struck in MMD. But there are also rare specimens without the sign of the Mint Palace. The cost of such 4,000 rubles.

2 rubles 2003 SPMD

Limited edition coin. Only SPMD was minted and has a significant rarity. It is made of an alloy of nickel and copper (it is not attracted by a magnet). On the edge, one can count 84 corrugations divided into 12 sections, each of which has 7 corrugations. Cost from 3,000 - 8,000 rubles.

2 rubles 2001 MMD

Officially, the 2 ruble coin of 2001 was not minted by any mint, but there are several copies (it is not known how much exactly) that have the MMD mark. The cost of 50,000 rubles.

5 rubles 1999 SPMD

The most expensive and rarest coin of modern Russia. It is only known that one single copy was found, and there is confirmation of the transaction of sale of this coin at a price of 250,000 rubles.

5 rubles 2003 SPMD

The most common coin in denominations of five rubles, only with the sign of the St. Petersburg Mint. The cost of 6,000 rubles.

Average coin value

And now, for greater convenience, I would like to summarize our knowledge and reduce it to a more convenient table.

Cost table

№ p / p	Coin value	Year of issue	Coin Palace	Average cost, rub.
1	5 kopecks	2002	BOMD	2500-3500
2	50 kopecks	2001	MMD	100000-120000
3	1 ruble	1997	MMD	4000-8000
4	1 ruble	2003	SPMD	10000
5	1 ruble	2001	MMD	30000
6	2 rubles with Yu.A. Gagarin	2001	BOMD	4000
7	2 rubles	2003	SPMD	3000-8000
8	2 rubles	2001	MMD	50000
9	5 rubles	1999	SPMD	250000
10	5 rubles	2003	SPMD	6000

Auction of expensive and rare coins

If you are a happy owner of rare coins, and also do not have any personal affection for them, then you can easily participate in various auctions and earn decent money. Below is a list of several popular online auctions.

The signs of the mint on the coins of Russia allow you to accurately determine where such a coin was minted. Since the days of the Soviet Union, there were two mints in Russia - Moscow and Leningradsky, which later became St. Petersburg.

In Moscow, the mint appeared in 1534. And in 1724, by decree of Peter I, a mint was opened in St. Petersburg, which was also the only one for some time, since Moscow did not function from 1826 to 1942.

Now in Russia there are two mints. The designation on coins is minted in the form of monograms: MMD and SPMD.

Signs of the mint in the USSR

The first sign of the mint appeared on the reverse denomination of 1 ruble, which was issued in 1975, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the victory. It was a sign of LDM, which belonged to Leningradsky. In 1977, in addition to LDM, the MMD sign was first applied to the chervontsa edge. The coins denoting the mint, began to be applied to the bargaining chip only since 1990.

Mint marks on coins

In the USSR, the letters L and M, as well as the abbreviations LDM, MMD, were applied for 1992-1993. On the 1992 ruble, there are three different versions of the mint mark - the stigma MMD, L and M.

To determine the mint, numismatists will need a magnifying glass. In some cases, if the condition of the coin is already poor, a scanner and a camera may come in handy. But in most cases, a magnifier is quite enough. Sometimes it’s difficult to make out the emblem of the mint.

The emblem of the mint in modern Russia

So how to determine the mint on modern coins in Russia? On cheap coins, they are displayed in the form of M and S-P on the obverse under the horse's front hooves. On some coins, the stamp of the Moscow Mint looks larger, which is also true.

Usual familiar coins that are common in circulation have mint marks located on the obverse of the coin under the eagle's paw on the right. At the same time, monograms of mints are usually of a standard form, however, they can also have many varieties. Sometimes the mint can be identified by the edge of the coin. Money minted on has inscriptions of a more rounded shape than those minted by the St. Peretburg Mint.

On commemorative coins, depending on the denomination, the mint mark can stand in different places. On the reverse of coins in denominations of 2 rubles and 5 rubles, the emblem is located between the curls of the branches on the right side. In the central part of the reverse, directly below the face value, it stands at 10 rubles. And on the rest with a brass coating - next to the year of manufacture.

There are also such coins on which the mint mark is not affixed. This was due to an error in the manufacture of stamps. Among numismatists, such coins are very much appreciated. Four such coins are known, two of which are commemorative: 1 ruble of 1993, minted in honor of the 130th anniversary of Vernadsky; 2 rubles 2003 - in honor of the 40th anniversary of space flight; as well as 5 kopecks of 2002 and 2003. The affiliation of coins of the times of the USSR to a specific mint can be determined by some features of the stamps.

Some numismatists, newcomers, underestimate the importance of the mint mark, but in vain. A coin of the same denomination and year of issue can vary greatly in price depending on the presence and absence of this sign, as well as its shape.