The Lipetsk Regional Museum of Local Lore houses a treasure that consists of 23 pieces of silver cutlery. It was discovered during excavations at a construction site in August 1994. The items were donated to the museum by G.A. Bugakov, an excavator operator at Lipetsk Machine Tool Plant JSC.
Copper, silver, and gold coins can be found in various treasures of the early 20th century. Treasures were often hidden during times of change and turmoil. In times of economic and political crisis, people often hid not only coins and banknotes but also various items made of precious metal, reasonably believing that they were more reliable than paper money. Objects made of precious metals have always symbolized financial well-being and have been kept as family heirlooms. In some cultures, they were even used as amulets to ward off evil spirits. Such items often included cutlery, cups, and cigarette holders. Both coins and precious metals have always been used as investment. Some people kept gold coins in bottles, while others hid silver cutlery beneath the floorboards. An example of this is the silver spoon treasure that was found in 1994 during the demolition of an old house on Leo Tolstoy Street in Lipetsk. These items were not buried deep. Apparently, they were kept under the floor of one of the demolished houses. It remains a mystery who hid this treasure and when.
All items from the treasure are patinated. The inscriptions are still legible. They indicate the city (Moscow), the year of manufacture (1820, 1880, 1887), the fineness of silver (84), and the brands of the craftsmen. “M.K.” stands for the assayer Mikhail Karpinsky, who worked in 1800–1824; “V.S.” — the assayer Viktor Savinkov, who worked in 1885–1888. Craftsmen, workshops, and factories were required to put their names on products before submitting them to the state assayer. Uniform branding was only introduced in Russia on January 1, 1899, based on a new assay law — a brand with the side-face image of a woman’s head, facing to the left and wearing a kokoshnik headdress.
