Kopeck - Peter I

Peter I introduced silver kopecks in 1701 as part of his sweeping monetary reform, replacing the centuries-old wire money — hand-cut slivers of silver hammered with rudimentary dies — that Russia had used since the medieval period. The transition was not immediate; wire kopecks continued circulating alongside the new issues for years, and much of the population remained suspicious of the reformed coinage.

At 0.28 g, these were among the smallest silver coins struck anywhere in Europe at the time, a direct inheritance of the wire money's weight standard rather than a clean break from it.