Russia – 3 Rubles – 1996 – The Nutcracker – 1oz Silver Proof

3 Rubles – 1996 – The Nutcracker – 1oz Silver Proof

Details:
Country: Russia
Mint: St. Petersburg Mint (SMD)
Face value: 3 rubles
Quality: Proof
Metal: Silver
Fineness: 900/1000
Total weight: 34.88g
Fine weight: 31.10g
Diameter: 39.00mm
Thickness: 3.30mm
Circulation: 25,000

Front:
The double-headed eagle. The inscriptions along the edge: above – “3 РУБЛЯ 1996 г.” (3 RUBLES 1996), below – “БАНК РОССИИ” (BANK OF RUSSIA). The letters below indicate the metal mark, fineness, mint mark, and fine metal content.

Back:
Masha and the prince are dancing at the ball, the inscription on the edge reads “ЩЕЛКУНЧИК” (THE NUTCRACKER).

Information:
“The Nutcracker”, a ballet to music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa’s adaptation of Ernest Hoffmann’s fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the King of the Mice”, choreographed by Lev Ivanov, premiered on December 6, 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. The ballet has a dramatic history: its original version was not particularly successful with audiences because Marius Petipa, the choreographer of the Mariinsky Theater, was unable to perform it himself due to health reasons. Later, different versions of the ballet were produced. It was not premiered in Moscow until 1915. “The Nutcracker” was revived on March 12, 1966 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, where it was directed by Yuri Grigorovich. The main roles in the ballet were performed by ballet stars Y. Maximova, V. Vasilyev, G. Sitnikov and V. Levashov (the set was designed by the artist S. Virsaladze and the orchestra was conducted by G. Rozhdestvensky). “The Nutcracker” has been successfully performed in many countries.