IMPERIAL RUSSIA rare circa 1885 1 Zolotnik silver mining assay ingot; toned XF

Description Imperial Russia silver Zolotnik, rare circa 1885 mining assay ingot. Nicely toned XF with original patina; hard-to-find in any condition nowadays. Guaranteed genuine or your money back. FREE SHIPPING WITHIN THE US FOR THIS ITEM. Original Alexander III era 1 Zolotnik mining ingot; struck at the imperial mint circa 1885. The Imperial mint’s assay office produced these silver rounds in 4 sizes: 10 Zolotniks, 3, Zolotniks, 1 Zolotnik, and 24 Dolya. When the “rough” mined gold supplied to the Russian mint was purified, the extracted silver was used to produce these silver “rounds” . Finished silver ingots were returned to gold mine owners. Essentially, these round ingots are Imperial mint products,  they just weren’t meant for circulation. These round ingots were struck in .990 silver fitness – the highest purity the mint could achieve at the time. Pure, quality silver was always in short supply in the Russian Empire. Most of these silver ingots were sold to silversmith shops where they were promptly melted down for manufacturing purposes. All silver Zolotnik denominations are rare as very few survived the melting pot in the first place; well-preserved specimens are VERY hard to find. This Zolotnik ingot is in better-than-average condition; both sides are sharply struck. Nicely toned XF with original light-gray with golden overtones patina. Legends on obverse; imperial coat of arms and St. Petersburg mint main assayer’s initials А Д (AD for Alexander Dobronizskiy) below the coat of arms on the reverse. The ingot is about 19.8 mm in diameter; about 4.27 grams. This is a very popular and highly collectible Imperial Russia numismatic item; don’t miss your chance to add this rare Imperial Russia silver Zolotnik ingot to your collection! Not cleaned; these are the actual photos. No large dings, contact marks, or deep scratches; excellent overall condition for the type. This Imperial Russia silver Zolotnik is guaranteed genuine or your money back. We have several scarce  Imperial Russia and Soviet era medals, as well as silver and gold coins available, please check out our Russian Coins store section for additional listings. Argocoins accepts all major credit cards and payments via PayPal as forms of payment for coins and medals. Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to make a credit card purchase over the phone. Old-fashioned checks and money orders will work as well; please take a look at the Payments section within our Terms and Conditions for additional details. Follow me on Facebook @argoman400BC to keep an eye on the latest additions and promotions. FREE SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM International shipping for this item will require delivery via secure Registered International Mail ($34 to most countries) on our “ship-to” list.