2 Kopecks - Elizabeth value under horseman, lettered edge

Elizabeth's copper recoinage of the 1750s was driven by a straightforward fiscal calculation: the existing copper coins were undervalued relative to their metal content, creating chronic shortages as merchants melted them for profit. The Senate's solution was to reduce the copper norm from 8 rubles per pud to 16 rubles per pud, effectively halving the metal in each denomination — but the transition was chaotic, producing overlapping types with differing edge treatments and value placements that catalogers still argue over.

The lettered edge on this type was applied by a separate edge-marking machine before striking, a process inherited from earlier Petrine-era practice. Misaligned edge lettering is common on survivors.