Russian Empire, Nicholas II, Ruble 1912

Nicholas II (1894-1917), whose portrait can be seen on this ruble from 1912, was the last tsar on the Russian throne. In March 1917, he was forced to abdicate, and in July of the following year, he was murdered together with his family. But in the year of 1912, the minting date of this ruble, things still seemed as they always had in Russia. The same is true for this ruble. It was minted the same way as 300 years before, outwardly unchanged, depicting the portrait of the tsar on the obverse, and the Russian double eagle on the reverse. Intrinsically, however, things looked different, for the silver content of the ruble had been continually reduced since its introduction in 1704.