Selected Civilian Items
from the Great War
(1914-1917)

  

    

The Era in Pictures

No discussion about a nations military can be complete without showing the civilian life of  the time.  In this section we will try to paint a mental picture of what life was like in Russia during the Great War.  Below you can see various items that came from Russia at the turn of the century.  Photographs, bank notes, coins, war bonds, and other such things will be shown here in the future.

Items in our collection

 
Earlier Period Relics Back to
the Civil and Political History
during the Great War		 Later Period Relics

 

 

Silver Kopek Coins

Here you can see both sides of a  twenty kopek coin that was minted in 1915.  When issued they weighed 3.6 grams.

The front has the value (20 kopeks) under a crown, followed by the date and surrounded by laurels.  The opposite side has the Tsarist eagle with the letters B and C (Cyrilic V and S) at the bottom.
 

 

Coming Soon!!

 

 

  

 

Coming Soon!!

 

 
Front Back
 

This example is a fifteen kopek coin minted in 1915.  When issued it weighed 2.7 grams.

Like the example above, the front has the value (1/2 kopek) under a crown followed by the date.  The opposite side has the Tsarist eagle and the letters B and C at the bottom.

  

 

Coming Soon!!

 

  

 

Coming Soon!!

 
Front Back
 
 

 

Ogonek Magazine Issue #16 (1915)

Below is a photograph of the cover of Ogonek magazine.  It was started in 1899 and is still in existence as of 2015.  The magazine was one of the first printed products to cater to a large audience with stories, political cartoons, photographs, advertisements, and social commentary.  This particular issue devotes several articles to the ongoing Great War, with some covering the military clergy and the medical corps.

 

War Bond Certificate of 1916

Here we have a war bond certificate.  The bonds were to be short term bonds yielding the buyer 5.5% interest on their investment.  Unfortunately the revolution prevented the buyers from being able to collect on their investment.

Below is an actual coupon given to those who purchased a war bond.  It should be mentioned that the coupons are very small and twenty (in two columns) would fit on a sheet of paper the same size as the bond certificate shown at right.  It is shown much larger so that it can be read easily.  Each of the 50 ruble coupons were individually numbered.  They also listed the amount of money the owner would earn for buying and holding them - one ruble and 37.5 kopeks.