Coins flakes got their name due to their shape. Their appearance resembles fish scales. The coins that have survived to this day are made mainly of silver, much less of them are made of copper. There is an assumption that there were also golden scales.
The exact date of the appearance of these banknotes in everyday life, archaeologists and historians could not establish, but they appeared even before the Tatar-Mongol yoke. But the end of their use is known - this is the monetary reform of Peter I in 1718. Consequently, the history of scales has more than a thousand years. Initially, they did not have a specific denomination. The value of the coin flakes was determined by weight. Silver signs, of course, were more expensive than copper ones. And indeed silver at that time was valued higher than now. In those days, for 1 gram of gold gave about 10 grams of silver.
Coin production flakes
Since weight was important in coins, little attention was paid to content and form. They took a piece of wire, cut it into pieces, which they flattened with a stamp. The shape of the products was elongated, very similar to fish scales. The stamp image did not fit completely. The seal was placed manually, it fell unevenly on the money, and the content of the picture could be judged only with a few money from one manufacturer. This production technology causes the absence of two identical products. If the wire was made of silver, then the coin was a silver flake. Each prince had his own mint, so the variety of products is huge. As a rule, the name of the ruler was indicated on the obverse, and some image was applied to the reverse: a mythical beast or a horseman with a spear. Despite the fact that Russia has already been baptized, many pagan symbols can be seen on coins.
Monetary reform of Elena Glinsky
It is believed that high-grade coin flakes should have a weight of 1 gram. But for all the time these money existed, their weight was constantly decreasing. Late coins weigh only half a gram. Note that at the beginning of the XVI century in everyday life in Russia there were a lot of the most diverse banknotes. And those all the time were circumcised and replaced. Trade transactions were concluded with great difficulty. There is a need for reform caused by the creation of a unified monetary system of the state. She had to spend Elena Glinsky - the widow of Basil III. Old money was banned, new ones could be printed only at the sovereign's mint. A new name was introduced - a penny, but in general, the coins retained the previous manufacturing technology and appearance. And in the people they were still called scales. Only now in connection with the name of the Russian sovereign, for example, coin-flakes of Alexei Mikhailovich.
Periodization of coin flakes
Antique coin flakes during its existence have undergone many changes that are associated with specific events and technologies for their manufacture. Thus, it is possible to determine some periodization. The first period, from the 9th to the beginning of the 12th century, is characterized by the absence of gold, silver and copper mining in Russia. Foreign coins were widely used, and their own were made from bullion of precious metals, which were regarded primarily as a commodity. At this time, the monetary system of Russia was formed.
From the XII to the XIV century, during the Mongol-Tatar yoke, the production of their own coins was discontinued.
In the third period, from the fourteenth to the beginning of the sixteenth century, the coinage of Russian banknotes was restored, but each unitary prince acquires his own mint.
The fourth stage is directly related to the reform of Elena Glinsky: at this moment, the centralization of the monetary system in Moscow takes place.
The fifth period is due to monetary changes at the court of Peter I. The scales are replaced by money printed on machines. They become larger in weight and at face value. A decimal measurement system is introduced.
