Catalog
Srebrennik - Vladimir the Great type II
| Issuer | Kyivan Rus |
|---|---|
| Year | 980-1015 |
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| Value | 1 Srebrenik (Nogata, Serebro) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Frontal enthroned effigy of Prince Vladimir the Great, depicted in regal attire with a crown or princely headdress, seated facing forward with arms extended or resting on a throne. The figure is rendered in a flat, stylized Byzantine-influenced manner characteristic of early Rus coinage. A beaded inner border encircles the central design, with a further beaded outer border framing the coin's irregular flan. A Cyrillic legend reading ВЛАДИМИРЪ runs along the periphery, identifying the issuing prince. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ВЛАДИМИРЪ |
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| Additional information |
The srebrennik was struck on Vladimir's orders sometime after his conversion to Orthodox Christianity in 988 — a deliberate act of statecraft aimed at projecting Byzantine-style legitimacy. Rus coinage of this period is extraordinarily sparse; most internal commerce relied on foreign silver, primarily Arab dirhams and later German denarii, making these domestic issues exceptional rather than routine.
SS#55 falls within a series catalogued by Spassky and Sotnikova whose die studies confirmed multiple distinct type groupings, with Type II distinguished by specific treatment of the trident tamga — Vladimir's dynastic symbol.