4 Kopecks - Ekaterina II Novodel

Novodels — official restrike specimens produced by the St. Petersburg and Moscow mints primarily for collectors and foreign dignitaries — occupy an awkward but fascinating corner of Russian numismatics. This 1796 copper issue was almost certainly struck after Catherine's death in November of that year, almost definitively placing production under Paul I, who both authorized novodels and moved aggressively to dismantle his mother's coinage system. The multiple Bitkin references here reflect genuine die variation across restrike sessions rather than a single production run.