RUSSIA, Tsars of Russia. Nikolai II Aleksandrovich, 1894-1917. Pendant 1913 (Brass, 25 mm, 2.99 g, 12 h), on Menachem Mendel Beilis (1874-1934) and his acquittal. מענדיל בייליס ('Mendel Beilis' in Hebrew) Draped bust of Menachem Mendel Beilis facing slightly to left. Rev. МЕНДЕЛЬ БЕИЛИСЪ / 1913 above י׳ מרחשון ה׳תרע״ד ('10th of Marheshvan 5674'=10 November 1913 in Hebrew). Gross 37448. Very rare. With original suspension loop. Small areas of weakness, otherwise, very fine.



The Beilis Affair became one of the most infamous antisemitic trials of the late Russian Empire. In 1911, Mendel Beilis, a Jewish factory superintendent in Kyiv, was falsely accused of murdering thirteen-year-old Andriy Yushchinsky in a supposed ritual killing – a modern revival of the medieval blood libel.

Imprisoned for more than two years, Beilis became the focus of an internationally publicized trial that exposed the Russian government's willingness to exploit antisemitic conspiracy theories for political purposes. On 10 November 1913, a jury acquitted him of all charges despite intense official pressure, making the verdict a symbolic victory over state-sponsored antisemitism.