Obverse: The centre of the coin features the crowned double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire with its wings spread. The shield on the eagle’s chest depicts St George slaying the dragon with a spear. The inscription „МОНЕТА • РУБЛЬ“ appears above, while the year „1846 ГОДА“ and the letters „Н Г“ are shown below. This distinctive type of double-headed eagle is often referred to by collectors as the “Masonic Eagle”, which gave these coins their popular nickname, “Masonic Roubles”.
Reverse: The centre features the four-line inscription „ЧИСТАГО СЕРЕБРА 4 ЗОЛОТН. 21 ДОЛЯ“, indicating the amount of pure silver contained in the coin – 4 zolotniks and 21 dolyas. The inscription is surrounded by a wreath of laurel and oak branches, with the Russian Imperial Crown above. The St Petersburg Mint mark „С.П.Б.“ appears at the bottom.
About the coin: This is a 1 rouble silver coin minted during the reign of Russian Emperor Nicholas I, who ruled the Russian Empire from 1825 to 1855. Roubles of this type are among the most recognisable Russian Imperial silver coins of the first half of the 19th century.
The coin was struck in .868 fine silver, weighs approximately 20.73 g and has a diameter of about 35.5 mm. It contains approximately 18 g of pure silver. The old Russian weight units „4 zolotniks 21 dolyas“ shown on the reverse also indicate the coin’s pure silver content.
