2 Kopecks - Ekaterina II

The Siberian kopeck series was a deliberate administrative experiment — Catherine II authorized a separate regional coinage for Siberia in 1763 specifically because the copper ore extracted from the Kolyvan-Voskresensk mining works contained trace silver and gold that made it too valuable to ship west and mint at standard imperial rates. Keeping production local at the Suzun mint, established in 1764, allowed the treasury to capture that metallurgical premium without the logistical cost of transport across the Urals.

The Suzun facility operated as the only mint ever established in Asian Russia.