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Jefimok Rouble - Alexey Mikhailovich Countermarked over 'Austria Hall Mint Taler 1613'
| Issuer | Russian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1655 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The obverse presents the host coin — a 1613 Hall Mint (Tyrol) Taler of Holy Roman Emperor Matthias — featuring a laureate and armored bust of the emperor facing left, occupying the central field. The circumferential Latin legend reads MATTHIAS D G ARCHAV DUX BURG STIR CARINT MAX, separated by floral ornaments, with the date 1613 appearing in the lower field. Two Russian countermarks applied in 1655 are struck upon the obverse: a rectangular cartouche bearing the date stamp '1655' and a circular cartouche depicting a horseman with a raised spear (the St. George motif), both characteristic punches used by Muscovite authorities to validate the Jefimok currency. The coin's beaded border and milled edge are consistent with contemporary Hall Mint production standards. |
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| Mint | Hall Mint, Tyrol (Austria) |
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| Additional information |
The jefimok policy of 1655 was a fiscal emergency measure. Russia lacked the silver mining infrastructure to produce roubles from domestic metal, so Alexey Mikhailovich's treasury simply bought up Western thalers in bulk and countermarked them into legal tender at one rouble each — a valuation roughly double their intrinsic worth. The arbitrage was unsustainable. By 1659, the issue was demonetized, accepted back by the state at just 64 kopeks apiece.
The Hall Mint taler of 1613 used as the host here was already four decades old when stamped. Innsbruck's Hall an der Inn facility was one of the most prolific in the Habsburg lands, which explains why its output turns up so frequently as jefimok hosts.