Treasure of Moscow and Swedish coins of the mid-seventeenth century from the village Voynashivka, Bar district, Vinnytsia region

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. The authors of the article attempt to analyze the quantitative and qualitative composition of wallet with copper coins of the Moscow Kingdom and the Baltic possessions of Sweden found on the territory of Vinnytsia oblast in 2018, to describe negative effects of monetary reform of 1655–1663 of the Tsar Oleksiy Mykhailovych (1645-1676) for the Moscow Kingdom and Hetmanshchyna, suggest their own versions of appearance of the wallet on the territory of Podillia.

The issue: The relevance of the research is due to the necessity to determine the role of the currency circulation in Ukrain, especially on the territory of Podillia in the middle of ХVІІ, of copper coin and denha of the Moscow Kingdom which was minted during the monetary reform of 1655–1663 of Tsar Oleksiy Mykhailovych (1645-1676).

Review of the last researches and sources: The issue of the role of Western European and Moscow silver and copper coins on the territory of Ukraine of the Hetmanate period (1648–1782) was highlighted in the works of the well-known numismatists of Ukraine: I. Spaskyi, M. Kotliar, R. Shust, H. Holysh, O. Kurok, O. Bakalets, V. Nechytailo, V. Sherstiuk, M. Kovalenko, A. Kliuiev, V. Bielashov and others. Important information on the researched problem is contained in the works of the Soviet researcher V. Melnikova. There is a lot of gaps in the issue wich we need to fill.

The aim of the investigation is to analyze in detail and to introduce into the circulation the new numismatic material found on the territory of Podillia in the recent years.

Represent the basic material: Villager of the Voinashivka Bar Region Vinnytsia Oblast found the treasure (lost wallet) with 89 copper coins of the middle of ХVІІ in the forest. In our opinion the find has unique unconventional composition of the Podillia of the period under study. The condition of the treasure is satisfactory. The most of coins are oxidized, covered with green patina, some of them are chipped, some of depictions and inscriptions are illegible because coins were under the ground for a long time. Some of coins stuck together. The Governments which minted the coin were the Moscow Kingdom during the reign of the Tsar Oleksiy Mykhailovych (1645-1676) and the Baltic possessions of Sweden during the reign of the queen Khrystyna Avhusta (1632 – 1654).

There are 16 billon solid coins of the Baltic possessions of Sweden and 53 copper coins and copper denhas of the the Moscow Kingdom of 50’s years of ХVІІ century in the treasure (wallet). The weight of the coins is 34, 37 g. The oldest coins are of Voinashivka’s treasure are solid coins of Khrystyna Avhusta of the beginning of the 40’s years of ХVІІ century, the youngest are copper coins of 1655–1656 years of the Tsar Oleksiy Mykhailovych. In our opinion the owner of the wallet cold be the Moscow rifleman who accompanied the royal delegation to the residence of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in the Bar. The other version says that riflemans who received the copper coins as a salary accompanied the royal salary and other goods to the Cossacks according to the conditions of the March articles in the 1654. They stoped at the forest of Voinashivka and one of them lost the wallet.

Conclusion. We can make the conclusion based on the historiography of the issue and the treasure of copper coins of the middle of ХVІІ found on the territory of Podillia. First of all, after the monetary reform 25 of July 1662 the Moscow Kingdom returned to the old coined system, the copper coin was lead out from the currency circulation. Secondly the coins aren’t saved in the treasures of Russia and Ukraine. Thirdly in the Moscow Kingdom and Kyiv on the territory of the Moscow garrison was found fake silvered tined coins covered with mercury. Fourthly the only positive result, in our opinion, was the admission of the thaler into circulation of the Moscow Kingdom, but not in the form of a roubl, but in the form of the yefymka with the “sign” that brought the new monetary system closer to the European one. The monetary reform failed to resolve the issue of changing the Hetmanate monetary economy in favor of the Moscow Kingdom because of using Polish and western European coins. Sixthly the find of wallet with Moscow copper coins and denhas of the Voinashivka’s treasure is very rare fot the territory of Podillia, but on the other hand it shows us a wide range of monetary economy of the Moscow Kingdom during the failed monetary reform of Oleksiy Mykhailovych.