Denga - Peter I

The copper denga was part of Peter I's sweeping monetary overhaul beginning in 1700, which dismantled the old wire-cut kopek system in favor of round, machine-struck coins — a technology Peter imported directly from Western Europe after his 1697–98 Grand Embassy tour. The transition was administratively brutal: old silver wire kopeks remained in circulation alongside the new copper pieces for years, creating persistent valuation confusion at street level.

Moscow's Kadashevsky mint handled much of this production. Die alignment and planchet quality vary considerably across the emission years, a known characteristic of the type rather than exceptional wear.