Russia St. George the Victorious

The Russian George the Victorious (Russian: монета Георгий Победоносец) coins are bullion coins issued in gold and silver by the Central Bank of Russia. The gold coins have a face value of 50 rubles and have been minted since 2006. The silver coins are Russia's first bullion coins in that metal; they have a face value of 3 rubles and have been minted since 2009.

Saint George was a Roman soldier and a member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman emperor Diocletian, who died in 303 AD. He was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He was a Great Martyr for the Eastern Orthodox Church and a highly revered saint in both the Western and Eastern Christian churches. He is the patron saint of Moscow, England, Georgia, and Ethiopia. The legend of Saint George and the Dragon tells the story of Saint George slaying a dragon and saving a princess who was intended as a sacrifice to the dragon. Images and sculptures of the legend have been produced since at least the 11th century.

The coin was designed and sculpted by A. V. Baklanov and minted at the Saint Petersburg Mint and the Moscow Mint. The silver bullion contains a denomination of 3 Rubles and is made of 1 Oz of .999 fine silver. The coin measures 39 millimeters in diameter, with a thickness of 2.10 millimeters, and the mintage varies by year. It was not produced from 2011 through 2014.

Silver Bullion Mintage

Design

Obverse: The obverse from 2009-2015 features the emblem of the Central Bank of Russia—a double-headed eagle with wings down. This emblem was the same one used by the Russian Republic in 1917. Both obverses are inscribed with "БАНК РОССИИ" (Bank of Russia), "3 РУБЛЕЙ" (Three rubles), indications of the precious metal content and its fineness, and the year of issue, followed by the mint mark. M is the mint mark for the Moscow Mint, and C-П is for the St. Petersburg Mint. From 2017 forward, the double-headed eagle version was replaced with the current Coat of Arms of Russia. The top of the coin is inscribed with "РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ" (Russian Federation). E. V. Kramskaya designed the earlier obverse.

Reverse: The reverse is the image of Saint George the Victorious sitting on horseback and spearing a dragon. No lettering is inscribed, producing a minimalist effect on the coin.