3 Rubles, Platinum
1828 ・ silver ・ 19th century ・ Saint Petersburg
The use of platinum, discovered in the Urals, for everyday circulating coinage is a case unknown in other countries. The face value is three rubles because a platinum planchet of the same diameter as a silver coin would have that value; this figure was the result of calculation, not design. The reverse bears the inscription "3 RUBLES IN SILVER". The coins were demonetized in 1845, and the recalled pieces were melted down and long kept in the state treasury.