The First Book on Siberian Numismatics. Review of: Starovoit, S. I., & Leontyev, V. K. (2017). Sibirskaia moneta (Istoriia proizvodstva i obrashcheniia sibirskoi monety, otchekanennoi s 1766-go po 1781 g. na Suzunskom monetnom dvore iz kolyvanskoi medi) [Siberian Coin (The History of Production and Circulation of Siberian Coins Minted between 1766 and 1781 in the Suzun Mint Kolyvan Copper)]. Moscow;

Abstract

This review considers the conceptual and substantial features of a book devoted to the examination of a special series of Russian copper coins minted in limited quantities, over a short period of time, and intended for circulation only in Siberian region. The reviewer emphasises the relevance of the topic chosen by the authors: publications on Siberian coins in modern numismatics are scarce, and scholars and collectors do not pay sufficient attention to the issue either. Special attention is paid to the ideas in the work that concern the history of coin production in Siberia in the 18 th century, as well as the authors’ methods of work with mass numismatic material based on revealing consecutive die variations used in the issue of all denominations of Siberian coins. Despite certain drawbacks in the methods and content, the author concludes that the publication has considerable significance for the sphere of modern numismatics.