On February 21, 1613, the boyar Mikhail Romanov, who belonged to the clan closest to Rurik and Prince Vladimir by blood, was elected Zemsky Sobor to the kingdom. Few people know that the election was preceded by long persuasion and “browing” of the boyars, since the 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov, who was at that time in the Ipatiev Monastery with his mother Martha, categorically refused to incur an excessive burden and begged to leave him alone. 3 centuries will pass, and the commemorative medal "300 years of the reign of the Romanov dynasty" will be released in Russia. And after 5 years, July 18, 1918, the descendant of Mikhail Romanov, Emperor Nicholas II will be shot in the house of Ipatiev in Yekaterinburg … So the historical circle has closed.
All-Russian celebration
On February 21, 1913, the Russian Empire celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The celebration was celebrated on a grand scale, and in honor of the memorable date it was made by order of the sovereign according to various estimates from 2, 028, 166 to 5, 000, 000 copies of the medal "300 years of the Romanov dynasty." The main order was about 1, 500, 000 items. Then the circulation was increased, and, taking into account the work of individual workshops, counting the number of copies can only be approximate.
The idea of the project of the memorial product belongs to the medalist Anton Fedorovich Vasyutinsky, who created many badges both in the Russian Empire and in the USSR.
The idea and execution of the facial bas-relief - Mikhail Arkadyevich Kerzin, a Russian and Soviet sculptor who received the title of Honored Art Worker of the Belarusian SSR. In 1979, at the age of 96, the master died in Leningrad.
Two sides of the coin
The material for the manufacture of the product is light bronze. The shape of the medal is a circle with a diameter of 28 mm.
The main side is represented by two portraits: in the foreground, Sovereign Nicholas II in the uniform of Colonel His Majesty the Life Guards of the 4th Rifle Regiment; behind - the founder of the dynasty, the first of the Romanov kings, Mikhail Fedorovich. He is in the famous Monomakh hat. Sculptures of sovereigns on the chest medals.
The edges are outlined by a simple border of dots and dashes. The convex image on the main front side of the product resembles a print on commemorative coins in denominations of 1 ruble in silver.
The reverse side of the coin is a circle edged identically to the front side. Inside - horizontally written text of five lines: "THE MEMORY OF THE 300-TH CENTURY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE ROMANOV 1613-1913".
In the center of the upper semicircle is an eyelet into which a ribbon of three colors was inserted, symbolizing the Romanov’s family coat of arms and at the same time the color of the old Russian banner: black turned into orange (sometimes yellow), and then into white. Sometimes the tape was replaced with a block.
The material from which the varieties of the "300 Years of the Romanov House" medal were made could be either bronze of any shade and composition, or silver or gold (which was not common). This was due to the fact that private craftsmen and firms also took orders for the manufacture of badges, and here everyone showed their own creative approach. Therefore, today it is very difficult to accurately guarantee the authenticity of existing copies. Hope only for intuition …
In addition, the details of the sculptural print have significant differences. There are medals of smaller diameter, reaching up to 15 mm: they are designed for tailcoat. All badges, regardless of size and other differences, should be worn on the chest.
Collectors, in view of the excessive number of such products, value exclusively intact medals "300 years to the Romanov dynasty." Exclusive instances that differ from the generally accepted template are especially welcome.
