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Denga - Ivan IV
| Issuer | Moscow Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1535-1584 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denga (1 Деньга) (0.005) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse field bears a three-line Cyrillic inscription in archaic Church Slavonic lettering, boldly struck in raised relief across the full width of the irregular flan. The text reads КНSЬ ВЕЛIКI IВАН, translating as 'Grand Duke Ivan,' referencing Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) in his capacity as sovereign. The letterforms are characteristic of 16th-century Russian hammered coinage, with angular, blocky Cyrillic characters typical of the Moscow Mint's wire money production. The legend fills the entire field without a surrounding border, consistent with the denga denomination of this period. The flan edges are ragged and uneven, a hallmark of the wire-cutting process used to produce the coin blank. |
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| Mint | Moscow Mint |
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| Additional information |
The denga was the backbone of Muscovite small change for generations, but the coinage of Ivan IV's reign carries particular weight — it was his mother Elena Glinskaya who actually initiated the monetary reform of 1535, standardizing weight and fineness across Muscovite mints while Ivan was still a child. The reform was partly a response to widespread coin-clipping that had destabilized trade throughout the preceding decades.
These wire coins were cut from drawn silver rod and struck between hand-cut dies, meaning no two are truly alike in shape.