Kopeck - Peter I

Peter I began replacing the old wire "fish-scale" kopecks with Western-style milled coinage as part of his broader monetary overhaul, but the transition was neither clean nor immediate. These tiny silver wire pieces — the old technology — continued alongside the new denominations for years, creating a chaotic dual-circulation period that frustrated merchants and tax collectors alike. The 1703 date places this coin squarely in that overlap, minted while Peter was simultaneously fighting the Great Northern War against Sweden and rebuilding his monetary infrastructure from scratch.