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Denga - Ivan IV non-state mintage
| Issuer | Russian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1535-1547 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.3 g |
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| Obverse description | Armored horseman in profile facing right, brandishing a raised sabre above his head while mounted on a galloping horse. The figure is depicted in a vigorous, dynamic pose characteristic of early Russian wire money coinage. The design is executed in low relief on an irregularly shaped flan typical of the hand-struck wire-money technique. The field is plain, with no legend or border, the entire surface dominated by the equestrian motif. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Cyrillic |
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| Additional information |
Ivan IV was a minor when this coin was struck — he wouldn't be crowned Tsar until 1547, and the monetary reform of 1535 that standardized the denga was driven by his mother, Elena Glinskaya, acting as regent. The "non-state mintage" designation reflects output from unofficial or semi-authorized workshops operating outside the centralized mint system, a known feature of mid-16th century Russian coinage that the reform was specifically intended to suppress.
Elena died in 1538, possibly poisoned, and the boyar factions that followed showed little interest in enforcing minting discipline.