JUDIN, SAMUEL

JUDIN, SAMUEL (1730–1800), Russian medalist. Judin possessed extraordinary natural talent and was accepted at a very early age by the School of Engraving of the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Mint. From 1757 to 1762 he was the principal mint engraver there. In his first year he struck the silver ruble for Peter III; the limited edition showed his Cyrilian initials ("S. Yu.") on the sleeve and is a coveted numismatic item. Judin's best-known medal is the one commemorating the Russian victory over Charles XII of Sweden at Poltava in 1709. He also engraved a group of medals, following previous models, which dealt with the life of Peter the Great. Judin collaborated with Timothy Ivanov on large portrait medals, an excellent example being their joint medal of Elizabeth I of Russia. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Friedenberg, in: The Numismatist, July (1969), 895–6. (Daniel M. Friedenberg)