Inner structure of the archeological numismatic collections of the XVIII century Novosibirsk Ob area and adjacent territories

Purpose. The numismatic materials referred to the territories and epochs characterized by developed monetary systems are regarded as a highly informative historical source. It is determined by a high degree of standardization of the minting industry and the character of the information, which was reflected on the coins, including the leader’s name, mint, date of coinage, etc. Integration of numismatic and archeological data within the framework of one research allows archaeologists to accumulate significant information on all the aspects mentioned above. This information is also important for the analysis of the lifestyle on the territory of the Novosibirsk Ob Area and adjacent territories in the XVIII century. This article reports on the results of studying correlation between the archive data related to the coinage volumes in the Russian Empire and the data concerning the 1730-1799 coins found on the territory of the Novosibirsk Ob Area and adjacent territories. In particular, the following tasks were solved: 1) collecting and processing a sufficient source base (the coins); 2) formalizing and unifying the numismatic and archeological data available; 3) analyzing the data available and identifying the facts to be clarified; 4) suggesting possible explanations for the facts. Results. The source base of the research is represented by 201 coins minted in 1730-1799. The coins have been collected on the territory of several dozens of towns in Novosibirsk region and adjacent territories. The coins, which are dated back from 1730 and before, are represented by sporadic samples in our collection, so they were not considered by previous researchers. The coins whose nominal value exceeds «denga» were also not previously considered for the same reason. Another type of data the researchers excluded was the coins minted by the Suzun Mint. It is explained by a lack of exact information as the archive data related to the coinage volumes are not divided by nominal values and are provided not in the form of the number of coins but as the total number of all the coins of all the nominal values available. Comparison of the archive data and archaeological data related to the number of coins referred to a particular coinage year testified to the fact that one can observe a considerable difference between shares of minted coins (according to the archive data) and discovered coins (the archeological data) during certain years, which is to be clarified. An important issue is particular aspects of the historical situation of the XVIII century on the territory considered. Conclusion. The anomalies we identified, related to the distribution of coins by the coinage years, are likely to be determined by the fact that a disproportionately small (or high) number of coins of corresponding «abnormal» coinage years were brought to the territory considered. It cannot be achieved by means of natural penetration of coins to this territory in the course of the economic turnover but is quite possible by providing state employees with salaries in a centralized manner. The distribution of coins by years was not gradually brought into compliance with the coinage volumes, which is likely to be determined by the territorial «isolation» of the currency circulation of the Novosibirsk Ob Area and adjacent territories (possibly, of Siberia as a whole). It is true under the conditions that the batches of coins were formed not from the coins obtained from the coins in circulation but from the coins supplied from various mints.