How savings were kept in Russia, when there were no banks and plastic cards yet

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

People have always sought to save money. And in Russia, the peasants also wanted to keep their small savings. Naturally, they had to be kept somewhere and preferably away from prying eyes. Today these are banks, plastic cards and safes at the disposal of investors, and in ancient times none of this was. How did people cope with the storage of their accumulated funds? Read in the material how money was hidden in Russia, why the moneybox was a way not to be afraid of fires, and when the first deposits appeared.

Peasant hiding places, and how money boxes made it possible not to be afraid of fires

In the old days, there were no safes, and the peasants had never heard of secret rooms. Therefore, in order to preserve their savings, they made simple hiding places. For example, if there were several coins, they were hidden right in the hut: under the threshold, in the red corner, or even stuck them into the joints of the logs. They do the same today - they hide money in the secluded corners of the apartment.

If the peasant was rich and had large sums at his disposal, he put them in an earthen vessel - a jug, and buried them in the yard, in the field, in the garden or forest. It happened that money was even buried in the grave of a loved one. There was one more meaning: the buried bills did not burn. Fires in the countryside were frequent. There were cases when the family was saved, but the property was lost in the fire. Despite the fact that until the 18th century, only metal coins were in use, and they could be affected by the flame: they blackened and even melted. As for paper money, if you leave it in a wooden house, then when it fires, they are one hundred percent destroyed.

The peasants tried to save money to buy livestock, horses, grain. Incomes were small, so the accumulation process lasted for years. Wealthy people let their funds grow, most often by acquiring land. Thieves often got into the houses. The robbers searched the house and stole the accumulated money. And it was very difficult to find money in the ground.

Burial grounds "for a rainy day"

Russia has gone through a lot: the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols, the revolution, the process of dispossession, numerous wars. Accordingly, there was a danger that someone would take away what they had acquired by force, no matter whether they were robbers, military men, representatives of the new government, or "basurmans." Keeping money with you is also not a good idea. So people did the so-called "caches", so that after all the troubles, without hindrance, take away the accumulated. For example, during the Patriotic War of 1812, the October Revolution, the Civil War, treasures were especially often “sent” to the land. And this was done not only by commoners, but also by merchants and nobles.

The funeral could not only consist of money. They often buried expensive jewelry and even family values. Most of the treasures remained lying in the ground, waiting for their owners. Sometimes, people stumbled upon a cache by accident, and sometimes, on the contrary, they searched for a long time and did not find anything. There are legends about incredibly rich treasures that were hidden by famous people.

Caches in stone buildings and secret rooms in the palaces of monarchs

When they began to actively build stone houses, people began to hide values in masonry more and more often. As for the rulers, they tried to equip special secret rooms in their rich palaces to store their wealth. Representatives of wealthy families did the same, trying to protect their wealth from encroachments.

For example, in 2012, an interesting case occurred in St. Petersburg: during the restoration of the Trubetskoy-Naryshkin mansion, workers discovered a colossal treasure. Found him in a room that was not indicated on the building plan. At least forty bags with family silver, tableware, amphoras, orders, samovars and other valuables were hidden from prying eyes. Some copies were neatly wrapped in 1917 newspapers.

As for the merchants, it was not customary for them to keep savings in the house. It was necessary to conduct business in such a way that funds were in continuous circulation. Merchants spent their money on buying new goods. Wealthy boyars bought items made of gold and silver, from dishes to jewelry, precious stones, and also tried to invest in real estate and land. As handicrafts developed, investors began to invest in quality raw materials and reliable equipment, to participate in the organization of manufactories.

Safe treasury for deposits and first bills and shares

As for banks, they began to open in Europe a very long time ago, in the 12th century. In Russia, these institutions arose in the 18th century, and paper money came into use in 1769. These were bank notes, initially representing a bank obligation to receive money. This type of obligations with a large denomination (from 25 to 100 rubles) was especially in demand among representatives of the wealthy strata of society. A little earlier, in 1757, the first promissory notes were issued. Wealthy people bought these securities to sell them later when needed. Some kept their wealth in this way, some preferred bills to use while traveling around the country.

The year 1772 in Russia was marked by the creation of the Safe Treasury. It could include money and make a deposit, as well as take loans, which must have been secured by real estate or serfs as collateral. Savings banks, in which you could open a savings account, appeared in 1842. Deposits could be different, their size varied from 50 kopecks to 300 rubles.

It was only in the middle of the 19th century that joint stock companies began to emerge. This type of investment such as stocks quickly became popular. The first state bank opened in Russia in 1733, but it was focused on deposits, and on the issuance of loans. The first commercial bank was opened in 1864 in St. Petersburg. His shares were bought by a variety of people, both wealthy aristocrats and simple artisans and merchants.

Today anyone can put money in the bank, and it will take a minimum of time. However, many citizens do not trust banks, and use ancient ways of storing money - under a baseboard, a mattress, in a toilet cistern.

However, this is still done today. And even millionaires who hide their huge fortunes.