RUSSIA. 3 Rubles, 1828-CNB. St. Petersburg Mint. Nicholas I. NGC Unc Details--Reverse Scratched.

Fr-160; KM-C-177; Bit-73. Mintage: 20,023. A beautiful example of the always popular Platinum 3 Rubles. A minor reverse scratch should not detract from this example, which displays a strength of detail not present on more commonly encountered heavily circulated examples. These coins, along with contemporaneous 6 and 12 Rubles coins, are the only examples of a platinum coin ever issued for general circulation. A newly discovered element in the early 19th century, Platinum had very few usages in a pre-industrial world. Imperial Russia, when they discovered a platinum vein in Ural Mountains attempted to conserve gold by using the new element for coinage, though the poor striking quality of platinum forced minting to cease scarcely a decade after production started.

Ex: Barquera Collection.