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Kopeck - Alexey Mikhailovich о М
| Issuer | Imperial Russian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1650-1655 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KG#1017, GKH#871, GKH2#916 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a multi-line Cyrillic legend filling the entire irregular oval flan, reading from top to bottom in the characteristic abbreviated format of Russian wire kopecks of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich. The inscription, struck in relief, gives the full titulature of the sovereign in condensed form. The lettering is bold and deeply impressed, though subject to the typical uneven strike and partial legend visible on hammered wire coinage of this era. |
| Reverse script | Cyrillic |
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| Additional information |
These wire money kopecks — chekanka on hand-cut flans hammered between crude dies — were the workhorse coinage of Muscovy during the reign of Tsar Alexis, and their irregular, fish-scale shape was a deliberate product of the minting method rather than carelessness. The years 1650–1655 fall squarely within the economic crisis that preceded Alexis's catastrophic copper coin experiment: by 1656 he would attempt to replace silver wire money with copper kopecks at parity, triggering the Copper Riot of 1662 and the near-collapse of the monetary system. These silver pieces, still trusted by the population, were hoarded aggressively once the copper issues flooded the market.