fifteen kopecks from 1979
This coin, fifteen kopecks from 1979, is a piece of metal that can transport you to a completely different world. At first glance, it looks ordinary, a little battered, with the marks of time, as if it had been through a lot. But if you look closely, you can feel the atmosphere of that time. On one side is the coat of arms of the USSR with a hammer and sickle, surrounded by ears of grain and ribbons, and above them a star symbolizing the unity of all the republics. On the other side, there is a large number 15, the year 1979, and inscriptions in Cyrillic, surrounded by laurel branches – seemingly an ordinary decoration, but for the people of that time, it was a sign of strength and victory. The coin is made of cupronickel, cool to the touch, a little heavier than you would expect, as if it really had something to say. It has probably passed through hundreds of hands, from factory workers to students buying a marmalade roll in the school shop. Today, it is difficult to imagine how many times someone has turned it over in their fingers, how many times they have counted their change to make sure they had enough for tea or a newspaper. For people back then, it was not a treasure, just ordinary money that could be used to pay for something specific. Fifteen kopecks had real value, something like a few euros today – not much, but at that time enough to eat something, buy cigarettes, or ride the tram.
If you take that kind of coin in hand today you feel it still carries the scent of that world. Cold, official, propagandistic, but with human rhythm, work, and routine. Not merely a metal disc, but part of history written in the most elementary way. One fascinating fact is that in 1979, when this coin was being struck, Moscow was gearing up to host the 1980 Olympic Games, which were to display the grandeur of the Soviet Union to the world. Coins back then were produced in massive numbers, and even now, when you do find them, they trigger some form of nostalgia. The designs of these kopecks remained fairly consistent over a period of quite a few decades since they were intended to be a representation of the stability and cohesion of the entire system. The same coins were utilized by all the republics irrespective of language and culture, and it united all of them into one empire. It is also fascinating that for people from former Soviet republics, these coins are not only a childhood memory but also an indicator of lost power, to which nostalgically some remember their past, and others - with relief. With the 1979 kopeck coin in hand, one can be transported back in time - so unfamiliar in the world, when everything was different, when systems didn't change, and little things were worth something. It is not that rare in the market, but it is a piece of history that survives after so many years and reminds us quietly of a lost era but ringing so strongly in such frills as this coin.
