2 Kopecks - Nikolai I / Aleksandr II Warsaw Mint

The Warsaw Mint struck Russian imperial copper for a relatively narrow window during the mid-nineteenth century, its operation in the Kingdom of Poland reflecting St. Petersburg's effort to consolidate monetary administration across territories absorbed after the Congress of Vienna. Production of this type spans the final decade of Nikolai I's reign and the opening years of Aleksandr II's, the transition between the two rulers creating no interruption in output — the mint simply continued under new authority.

Warsaw copper from this period is frequently found corroded or cleaned, the result of long outdoor circulation in Polish provincial markets where silver was scarce and copper absorbed most everyday transaction friction.