Russia issues three silver coins to mark the work of its Nuclear Support Units
ForThe Central Bank of Russia has long had a penchant for celebrating some very off the wall subjects with a selection of eclectic coins. In a country with a political system like Russia, the goverment isn’t just seen as a necessary part of the running of the country, it’s seen as something to be showcased. One result of this is an ongoing stream of coins marking not just some quite unusual government departments, but military organisations as well..
The latest to get the honour are the Nuclear Support Services, those tasked with the security of Russia’s extensive nuclear military assets. A series of three quarter-ounce sterling (0.925) silver proof coins have been struck, each depicing an aspect of the service. One coin features a peek at the hardware designed to render large areas of the planet uninhabitable and is the most distinctive of the three.
The second coin depicts the emblem of the services and the third the shoulder insignia of one of the Directorate. It’s a fairly staid selection, as many of these bureacratic coins often are, but all look okay. We just wish a little more imagination was on show. All should be available now, each sold individually and boxed with a certificate of authenticity. The mintage of each design is capped at 5,000 pieces.
MINTS DESCRIPTION
COIN 1: the mirror field of the disc bears relief images of a strategic bomber, a mobile missile system and a nuclear-powered missile submarine; stylised electron orbitals on the left; and the inscription along the rim: ‘СОЕДИНЕНИЯ И ВОИНСКИЕ ЧАСТИ ЯДЕРНОГО ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ’ (NUCLEAR SUPPORT UNITS).
COIN 2: the mirror field of the disc bears a relief image of the emblem of the nuclear support units and the inscription along the rim: ‘СОЕДИНЕНИЯ И ВОИНСКИЕ ЧАСТИ ЯДЕРНОГО ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ’ (NUCLEAR SUPPORT UNITS).
COIN 3: the mirror field of the disc bears a relief image of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and the inscription along the rim: ‘СОЕДИНЕНИЯ И ВОИНСКИЕ ЧАСТИ ЯДЕРНОГО ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ’ (NUCLEAR SUPPORT UNITS).
OBVERSE: the mirror field of the disc bears a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, over it along the rim there is the semicircular inscription “РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ” (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed on both sides by doubled rhombuses, below under the coat of arms there are indications of the precious metal and its fineness on the left and the fine metal content and the mint trade mark on the right, at the bottom in the centre, in three lines, there is an inscription “БАНК РОССИИ” (BANK OF RUSSIA), the denomination of the coin “3 РУБЛЯ” (3 RUBLES), and the year of issue “2019 г.” (2019).
| SPECIFICATION | |
| DENOMINATION | i Ruble (Russia) |
| COMPOSITION | 0.925 silver |
| WEIGHT | 7.78 grams (fine) |
| DIMENSIONS | 25.0 mm |
| FINISH | Proof |
| MODIFICATIONS | None |
| MINTAGE | 5,000 per design |
| BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
unfortunately, in any country with irremovable power, officials do what they like, not what citizens want. the Bank of Russia once again confirms this, minted small circulations for itself and for gifts to other officials instead of minting bullion coins with interesting themes for citizens
There are a lot of coins issued like this, so I suspect you’re right. They do put out some very nice designs as well, so not all bad. I’d like them to do a big Russian history series rather than focus on these government department coins that provoke little interest in the wider collectors market. Russia has a fantastic history, so there would be no shortage of subjects to choose from.