Grivennik - Elizabeth

Elizabeth came to power in a bloodless coup in December 1741, overthrowing the infant Ivan VI and his regent. Her early coinage reform restored silver denominations that had been debased under the preceding regency government. The grivennik — a ten-kopek piece — had a troubled production history under Elizabeth, with dies prepared at both the Moscow and St. Petersburg mints producing measurable differences in strike quality across the 1742–1746 run.

The .750 fineness reflects a deliberate compromise: pure enough to maintain credibility in trade, debased enough to stretch bullion reserves strained by ongoing military commitments in the War of Austrian Succession.