10 Kopecks - Ekaterina II

The Suzun Mint was established in 1764 specifically to monetize Siberian copper, which could not be economically transported across the Urals to European Russian mints. Catherine II authorized a distinct Siberian coinage — legally separate from the standard imperial series — allowing local copper to circulate within Siberia without disrupting the broader monetary system. The Suzun facility sat adjacent to the Kolyvan-Voskresensky copper smelting works, making it the only Russian mint built directly into an active mining and smelting complex.

These coins were not legal tender west of the Urals. That geographic restriction, combined with Siberia's sparse population, kept circulation volumes low relative to mintage figures.