Illiterate currency: Why ancient coins had errors and the reason Russians wrote in Arabic.

A golden Roman coin has been discovered in England, and it has immediately been declared a national treasure. Not because it is made of gold, but because it is unusual. The inscriptions on the coin are riddled with monstrous grammatical errors. It seems the craftsman only knew that letters existed, but was completely unaware that they needed to be arranged in a specific order.

How did this happen? After all, a coin represents state control and a well-established production system. And yet, a poor student was allowed near the minting machine.

You might be surprised to learn that grammatical mistakes on ancient coins are not uncommon. They often point to extraordinary circumstances, typically related to significant political events.

Let’s discuss some of the most fascinating instances in history, ending with this particular English coin.

ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF, KING PERT

When the young Petrusha, who would become Peter the Great, began to understand the world around him, tiny silver coins circulated in Russia. They weighed less than a gram and were elongated, cut from thin wire.

There’s a joke: they supposedly sent Petrusha to the market in Red Square. “Buy some pickled cabbage,” they said. He hesitated, feeling shy, approached the merchant, who weighed out the cabbage. Peter handed over a silver ingot, paying like a tsar. The merchant scoffed, “A rich young man has arrived!” and proceeded to give him change.

But how he counted that change!

For some reason, he puffed out his cheek and spat several small coins into his palm. “Here, take it,” he offered.

- “That’s unhygienic!” – shouted the fastidious royal teenager and bolted away.

And mind you, there was a cough epidemic in the country, with soldiers in face coverings at the checkpoints, and he spat in the bright eyes of others.

This is, of course, a joke. Who would send a future tsar to the market without protection? However, it is a fact that Peter truly hated small coins; they were indeed carried in the cheek; Peter referred to kopecks as “lice” and dreamed – once he became an autocrat, he would create coins that were round and large, like those in Europe.

And, as it happens, he did.

But the country is vast. A lot of money is needed. Skilled craftsmen are required. There was a shortage of skilled workers. Coins are strictly controlled, yet the production kept pushing forward. The craftsman was a bit illiterate. The controller was also somewhat illiterate. That’s how mistakes happened.

The most common error was writing РОСIИ instead of РОСИI. Oh, that old orthography with its confusing rules! And this was after Peter simplified it by eliminating several letters.

His successor, Peter II, faced even worse issues. They often wrote ПЕТРЪ as ПЕРТЪ. Allow me to introduce myself, King Pert. Mother, why are they laughing?

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Photo: Auction House “Alexander” / adalex.ru

THE LETTERS RAN OUT

We tend to think of the finances of pre-revolutionary Russia as a model of stability. However, Russian literature occasionally raises doubts. Saltykov-Shchedrin once foresaw that in Europe, instead of change, one would receive a punch in the face. Or Chichikov in Gogol’s work, for some reason, clarifies whether it should be in silver or assignats (isn’t that the same thing?).

The truth is that only Nicholas II managed to establish stable finances. And it was short-lived: as soon as World War I began, everything fell apart. The entire 19th century saw the system in turmoil. For instance, the mints periodically ran out of letters.

How were coins made? First, they created a prototype. A matrix from which coins were struck. This was done by the master using a set of symbols, here’s the coat of arms, here are the letters. They composed a design, stamped the matrix, and then produced coins from it. The matrix wore out quickly. It had to be remade.

Some letters, due to their geometry, wore out faster. For example, the letter Л. The master grabs the punches (those very “initial images”), and suddenly, Л is gone. It had to be replaced with А. Thus, often instead of “ПОЛТИНА” – “ПОАТИНА.”

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Photo: Auction House "RARE COINS" / rarecoins.ru

Do the authorities have complaints? You know what? Provide them with supplies. Then you can demand. The workers have been sitting without punches for a month.

IN FULFILLMENT OF THE DECISIONS OF THE XXVI KURULTAI

The capital of the Golden Horde was the city of Sarai. They wouldn’t call it a good thing, a barn. However, archaeologists claim it was the largest city in Europe in the 14th century. Its ruins are still visible near the village of Selitrennoe in the Astrakhan region.

The Golden Horde produced a colossal amount of money. And here’s a record: the most prolific coin minting in the Middle Ages, with no competition. The state was not small. From present-day Moldova to the steppes of Kazakhstan. The roads – like in Pushkin’s “The Captain's Daughter,” hear, nobleman, trouble, a snowstorm, we’re sitting until spring. How to provide everyone with coins?

There’s only one solution: mint them in the cities, so you don’t have to transport money in convoys (which is also unsafe – they would steal everything along the way).

There were many cities. Here’s modern Azov, back then – Azak. Here’s present-day Saratov – then Ukeck. Here’s Mordovia – in those days Moshcha. There are too many to name.

And, let's say, in Saratov, pardon me, in Ukeck, the governor sits. As is customary, in a fur hat, he is also a Mongol. From the capital, from Sarai, they send samples of money. “Establish production!”

- Look at these tricksters, - grumbles the governor in a Golden Horde manner, - How am I supposed to set it up? Sarai is completely disconnected from the realities on the ground. They should come and see what I have here. I have nothing here. I’m a pauper.

But here’s a thought: hire contractors. A tender! Said and done. A merchant named Ivan arrives. Ukeck is almost entirely populated by Russians. Those who were captured during the tumultuous Batu period. Those who came themselves for long money (yes, money is a word from those places and times).

- Here, Ivan, pictures for you, you’ll be making coins.

- And where’s my profit? And where will I get the metal?

- It’s simple, Vanya. I will now issue a decree that no barter will be allowed in the markets. They’ve gone and started bartering, you see. Khan Janibek stated clearly at the kurultai: we are boosting the economy. Read it?

- I somehow missed it.

- Country bumpkin. So, the people will bring you silver. Little spoons, plates. You immediately take 20 percent for your efforts, melt it down, make coins, and return them to them. Yes, don’t forget here, see, the samples – it’s necessary to mark “made in Ukeck.” A wish from above. Accounting and control – the foundation of what?

- Developed feudalism. All clear, nobleman, but those squiggles on your pictures. What is that?

- Forgotten where you live? We are the most advanced state in the universe. And our coins are inscribed in Arabic. In the language of culture and science. Alright, I don’t read Arabic myself, to be