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1/2 Jefimok Rouble - Alexey Mikhailovich Countermarked over 'Frankfurt Thaler 1621'
| Issuer | Russian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1655 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Jefimok Rouble (1/2 Ефимок Рубль) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 1655 1655 |
| Reverse description | The reverse retains the design of the original Frankfurt thaler of 1621, showing a double-headed imperial eagle in the field, characteristic of Holy Roman Empire coinage of the early seventeenth century. Portions of the Latin circumferential legend remain visible along the surviving edge, though incomplete due to the deliberate halving of the host coin. The reeded border of the original milled thaler is partially preserved on the intact curved edge. The surface shows natural wear and toning consistent with circulation use, with the original relief of the eagle motif still discernible despite subsequent countermarking pressure and handling. |
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| Additional information |
The jefimok program of 1655 was a pragmatic response to Russia's chronic silver shortage during the Thirteen Years' War with Poland-Lithuania — Moscow lacked the ore supply to mint sufficient coinage from scratch, so Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich's treasury instead countermarked foreign thalers already circulating in Russian trade. The half-jefimok was cut directly from a full thaler before countermarking, which is precisely why the host coin's original details matter: a Frankfurt thaler of 1621 places this flan's origin in one of the Holy Roman Empire's most active minting cities during the Kipper- und Wipperzeit currency crisis, itself a period of aggressively debased coinage.
The program was abandoned the same year it launched, making the entire jefimok series short-lived. Spassky's documentation of this type remains the authoritative reference for attribution.