Russia 1835 3 Ruble, PCGS "Genuine - filed rim"
Diameter 23 mm, 10.3 grams, 0.33 Troy oz. $1175 in 2009.
Platinum is the king of precious metals. It is used in jewelry, but pure platinum is hard, so it is often alloyed with gold or silver to make it more workable. Platinum is very resistant to chemical attack or oxidation, but is used as a catalyst in chemical reactions.
Russia 1835 3 Ruble, PCGS "Genuine - filed rim"
Diameter 23 mm, 10.3 grams, 0.33 Troy oz. $1175 in 2009.
A unique phenomenon occurred in Russia between 1828 and 1845, during the reign of Tzar Nikolaus I: platinum coins in denominations of 3, 6, and 12 rubles were minted. Russia is the only country in the world that has ever struck platinum coins for circulation.
Because platinum is so hard and has such a high melting point, the precise method of manufacture has been a mystery, given the primitive metallurgical techniques available in the 1830s. Recently however, analysis of the platinum coins reveals that partially purified platinum grains were pressed to a block, sintered and then forged and rolled to a sheet or strip, from which blanks were then punched. (Lupton@Heraeus, Auer et al)
These platinum Rubles are not especially rare, but they are becoming harder to find in the U.S. as wealthy Russian collectors have been snapping them up and taking them home. As a result they have become quite expensive. They can be found on eBay from time to time, anywhere from $1500-$3000 and up depending on grade and scarcity. 1843 and 1844 are the most common dates. Because this particular coin had some rim damage due to being mounted in jewelry, I was able to acquire it for substantially less.
Caution: never buy unslabbed valuable coins on eBay. Restrikes, novodels and counterfeits of these pieces are common, and are often made of platinum. Restrikes are coins made from the original dies, but at a later time. Novodels are made from dies similar but not identical to the originals, and were often made at the official mint for collectors. In some cases, novodels can be more rare or valuable than the originals. Technically the legendary 1804 US silver dollar is a novodel. Counterfeits are often sold as "novodels", although they are merely modern copies - often not even made of platinum.
A 3 ruble piece made of platinum weighs approx. 10.3 grams and has a specific gravity of about 20.4 g/cm3. Because the sintering process leaves microscopic gaps in the metal, and because of impurities, this density is lower than that at of pure platinum, 21.45 g/cm3.
The word platinum is derived from the Latin meaning "little silver". In colonial Mexico, platinum was sometimes found during the mining of silver, and was considered a worthless nuisance. Contemporary counterfeiters of the famous silver 8 Reales "Spanish milled dollar" made copies from platinum rather than (at the time much more valuable) silver. Today the counterfeits are worth many times the authentic coins, mainly due to their bullion value.
Today there are no platinum legal tender coins, although since the 1970s several countries including the US have made platinum commemoratives and bullion rounds.
Platinum coin by Metallium, Inc. Photo used by permission.
Diameter 19mm, 3.1 grams (1/10 troy ounce), 99.9% pure. $165 on 2/26/2007.