Emperor Alexander II Memorial Jetton, 1898.
In copper with silver plating; measures 26.8 mm wide; weighs 6.0 g (without connecting link.) The obverse features a memorial complex to the late tsar built inside the Moscow Kremlin with the date of its official opening, 16 August 1898. The inscription along the upper edge is "To the Tsar - Liberator of the People." The reverse shows major dates of Alexander II's life: "Born on 17 April 1818; Assumed the Throne on 19 February 1855; Crowned Tsar on 26 August 1856; Rested in God on 1 March 1881."
In very fine to excellent condition. The jetton is free of signific
In copper with silver plating; measures 26.8 mm wide; weighs 6.0 g (without connecting link.) The obverse features a memorial complex to the late tsar built inside the Moscow Kremlin with the date of its official opening, 16 August 1898. The inscription along the upper edge is "To the Tsar - Liberator of the People." The reverse shows major dates of Alexander II's life: "Born on 17 April 1818; Assumed the Throne on 19 February 1855; Crowned Tsar on 26 August 1856; Rested in God on 1 March 1881."
In very fine to excellent condition. The jetton is free of significant wear of any kind. The fine details of the artwork and lettering are exceptionally well-preserved, essentially pristine. A good amount of the fragile original silver finish is clearly visible in recessed areas, especially on the reverse. Comes with a copper connecting link that appears to be original to the jetton.
This very interesting and uncommon piece is a veritable
history lesson. Perhaps the most reform-minded and liberal
Tsar in all of Romanov dynasty, Alexander II must be
credited for a number of seminal reforms and
accomplishments: liberating the serfs, scoring major
military victories, introducing electoral system for local
governments and making major improvements in national
education - to name just a few. His reward was being
assassinated by the Narodnaya Volya ("People's Will")
terrorists in St. Petersburg - an event that set Russia back
on the far more traditional path under his successor
Alexander III. The memorial complex depicted on the obverse
was gradually demolished by the Bolsheviks from 1918 - 28 on
personal orders by Lenin. In 1968, the empty space was used
to build yet another Lenin monument that was in turn removed
after the collapse of the USSR.
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