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1/2 Kopeck - Nicholas II
| Issuer | Russian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Kopeck (1/2 Копейка) (0.005) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field bears the interlaced crowned imperial cypher of Nicholas II, formed by two mirrored Cyrillic letters 'N' (Н) surmounted by a small imperial crown with ribbons. The monogram is flanked on either side by sprays of olive and oak branches rising from the lower field, rendered in fine relief against a flat, unadorned background. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | The denomination and date are rendered entirely in retrograde (mirror image), reflecting the experimental pattern nature of this piece. The fraction '2/1' appears at the top of the field flanked by two small six-pointed stars, followed by the retrograde Cyrillic legend 'ИКЙѢПОК' (reading КОПѢЙКИ in normal orientation), and the retrograde date '7981' (reading 1897 in normal orientation) at the base, separated by a small decorative flourish. |
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| Additional information |
This piece is a pattern — KM#Pn150 and Bitkin#383 both catalog it among the experimental issues of 1897, when the Russian Imperial Mint was testing copper-nickel alloys as a potential replacement for the pure copper that had dominated small-denomination coinage since the 18th century. The reform never materialized for the lower denominations; Russia retained copper for its kopeck fractions, and these nickel-alloy trials remained confined to mint archives and the hands of a very few collectors.