1965 USSR coins

[villa66]

The other day I was cataloging some regular issue Russian coins dated 1965, and was astonished to see their (Krause) catalog price. No mintage figures were listed, so I was left wondering whether these coins are expensive because they are that difficult to find, or because they are currently in the grip of some collecting fad, or they are the victims of a cataloging mistake, or?

Does anyone know why some of the 1965 regular issue Russian coins are priced so high?

  v. 

[chrisild]

As for the country name, many catalogs (printed and online) have only one combined Russia/USSR entry. No idea why the 1965 coins would be more expensive, and I do not actively collect them. The Schön does not provide mintage figures either - maybe some government secret? - but also lists the 10 kopeek 1965 as (somewhat) more expensive ...

Christian

[villa66]

...The Schön does not provide mintage figures either - maybe some government secret? - but also lists the 10 kopeek 1965 as (somewhat) more expensive ...

Christian

It's interesting that the 10-kopek is singled out by Schön. I note that the middle values in the 1965 series is where the real price action occurs, in the 2012 Krause anyway, although some of the surrounding values are also relatively high.

  v.

[andyg]

Have split this - the discussion about country names et al, is more suited to the living room as it has little relevance to the 1965 coins in the header.

Thank you.

[andyg]

There are other coins issued in the late 60's by Russia that are incredibly hard to find, 5 kopeks up to 1 Rouble - the catalogs make no mention as to why - nor do they make much a distinction in value.

[chrisild]

Just one clarification - the Schön catalog does not actually single out the 10 kopek 1965 coin but lists several that, for whichever reason, have higher catalog prices than others. In the case of the 1 and 2 kopek pieces it's the 1964 issue that is (a little) more expensive, say, €10 instead of 50 cent. For the 5 kopek coin it is the 1970 pieces which are pricy (and the 1971/72 pieces which are a little expensive). 10 kopeks: 1965 and 1966 cost more. 15 kopeks: 1970, followed by the 1971-73 issues. 20 kopeks: 1970/73/76. And so on.

The really expensive ones seem to be the 1958 issues; they were produced but did not make it into circulation, and were melted down except for some pieces. Also, some of the 50 kopek and 1 ruble coins have non-corresponding dates on the reverse and on the edge; those are apparently sought after ...

Christian

[ciscoins]

The Schön does not provide mintage figures either - maybe some government secret?

Yes, that's a very big secret. (And a very big shame.) Our government doesn't want to publish even the mintages of the coins that were issued in 1920s !!!

[gxseries]

It's not just 1965 Soviet coins are scarce - some denominations from 1962 to 1973 ish are just difficult to find in any condition, in particular 5 kopek onwards. 1970 mint set is just way off the roof. Who knows why they are difficult to find but it's clear that there is an over abudance of 1961s from lots of Soviet coins that I have gone through. Maybe that is the main reason why Leningrad mint didn't really produce much coins in between those years. Most of these key dates are now coming from sources out of Russia, especially US and European countries - probably a lot were exported for hard cash in the form of mint sets.

Lots of information from the Soviet era is just censored and even up to now, mintage of current Russian coins excluding commemorative coins are still not released publically. There seems to be some historical records of some mint sets mintage were given out but a lot were either "inaccurate" or came from third party information. I'm still looking for official records, not something that Krause has published. 

Who knows really.

[translateltd]

I've heard locally that the prices in KM for Soviet Mint sets of the 1970s are way too low compared to the current market but haven't followed it up in any detail.

[bigr]

Yes, that's a very big secret. (And a very big shame.) Our government doesn't want to publish even the mintages of the coins that were issued in 1920s !!!

All of you search for "black cat" not in that to "dark room" …
All is much more prosy, without "secrets" and "shame"...
It is not necessary to mix a collecting with a policy. And a post factum "to strew a head ashes".
It is not necessary to be ashamed of history of the Native land. She should be known.
RSFSR and the USSR were always numerous on the population.
That all on all sufficed, the government had "to start the machine tool".
Therefore in domestic catalogues opposite to releases of those years there is a value "circulation mass". To consider let out then, now it is simple, it is impossible.
And you "secrets", "shame" …
Policy, it always and everywhere "dirt" …

Igor

[ciscoins]

It is not necessary to be ashamed of history of the Native land. She should be known.

These two things are not mutually exclusive.

[bigr]

To express to please to any public opinion, here it is a shame.

[villa66]

It sounds maybe like there are people here who might know: did the small coins of the 1940s and 1950s continue to circulate after the revaluation of 1961? Or did the new coins of 1961 have to do the job alone?

Any coin-related information about this transition (which, as mentioned above, definitely speaks to the 1965 issues) is more than welcome.

  v.

[ciscoins]

It sounds maybe like there are people here who might know: did the small coins of the 1940s and 1950s continue to circulate after the revaluation of 1961? Or did the new coins of 1961 have to do the job alone?

1, 2 and 3 kopeks 1926-1957 continued circulating until 1991 (officially - until 1998), and their value had become 10 times higher because of the revaluation.
5, 10, 15 and 20 kopeks were withdrawn.

[villa66]

Thanks, ciscoins. Really appreciate it.

I will ask another long-time question, for anyone who might know. I read some time ago--but only in a stray reference--that the 2-kopek piece was the pay telephone coin for many years. Can that be? (It seems like such a small denomination, and--forgive my my own cold, clumsy fingers this morning--such a physically small coin for such a job, which is why I didn't automatically believe it.)

(Although since--as above--the 2-kopek got a 10x revitalization in 1961, maybe that's why inflation didn't cut short its career as might otherwise have been expected.)

Can anyone say whether the 2-kopek was indeed a "telephone coin," and if so, can anyone say over what time period?

  v.