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Kopeck - Alexey Mikhailovich
| Issuer | Russian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1655-1663 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Kopeck (1 Копейка) (0.01) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A multi-line Cyrillic inscription filling the entire irregular flan, containing the full titulature of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The legend is arranged in compressed horizontal lines, characteristic of wire kopeck coinage, with individual letters sometimes partially off-flan due to the small and irregular planchet. The text proclaims the Tsar's sovereignty over Great, Little, and White Russia. The lettering is deeply struck though unevenly distributed across the surface, as is typical of hammered wire money of this period. |
| Reverse script | Cyrillic |
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| Additional information |
The copper kopeck issues of Alexey Mikhailovich's reign were a direct product of the Muscovite monetary crisis of the 1650s. Facing crushing military expenditures from simultaneous wars against Poland and Sweden, the government began striking copper coins at the same face value as silver wire kopecks — an experiment in forced currency equivalence that the population did not accept. Within years, the exchange rate between copper and silver had collapsed to 1:15 or worse.
The resulting Copper Riot of 1662 killed hundreds in Moscow streets. By 1663, the copper kopeck was withdrawn entirely.