25 Roubles Aquarius

Part of Russia's twelve-coin zodiac series issued through the mid-2000s, the Aquarius piece was produced in relatively small quantities alongside its eleven counterparts — the series was aimed squarely at the collector market and saw virtually no circulation. The Bank of Russia issued these under its investment and commemorative coin program, which expanded aggressively in the early 2000s as the state sought hard-currency revenue through numismatic exports.

The .999 fineness places it among Russia's purest gold issues of the period, finer than the standard Georgy Pobedonosets bullion coins introduced the same year.