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Jefimok Rouble - Alexey Mikhailovich Countermarked over 'Brabant Patagon of Philip IV 1632'
| Issuer | Imperial Russian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1655 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Jefimok Rouble (1 Ефимок Рубль) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse displays the host coin's field dominated by a cross pattée composed of two crossed sceptres surmounted by a royal crown at the top, with the date 1632 flanking the central element. At the centre of the cross is applied a circular Russian countermark bearing an equestrian figure of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich. In the lower right field, a rectangular cartouche countermark bearing the Cyrillic date 1655 (ЛЅѮГ) has been struck. The peripheral legend in Latin reads PHIL·IIII·D·G·HISP·REX, partially visible around the coin's circumference. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ARCHID·AVST·DVX·BVRG |
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| Additional information |
The jefimok was not a Russian coin at all — it was a foreign thaler impressed with two countermarks and declared legal tender at 64 kopecks in 1655, part of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich's desperate attempt to fund the Russo-Polish War without the silver reserves to mint original coinage. Tens of thousands of Western European thalers were requisitioned, the Brabant patagon among the most common candidates given the volume entering Russia through Baltic trade.
The experiment collapsed within a year. The fixed exchange rate was wildly unpopular, contributing directly to the Copper Riot of 1662. Most jefimoks were demonetized and returned to bullion, which is precisely why survivors in unaltered condition remain scarce.