Kopeck - Peter I

Peter I introduced wire-money kopecks (the so-called "cheshуiki") as part of a deliberate transitional policy while his monetary reform was still underway — the full shift to milled, Western-style coinage began in 1700 but the old hand-struck wire pieces continued alongside the new issues for years. By 1718, Peter formally abolished the wire kopeck entirely, making 1708 a late date in the type's dying run.

The extreme low weight reflects the medieval Russian wire-money tradition, where silver rod was cut to approximate weight and hammered flat rather than struck from prepared blanks. Surviving examples are frequently bent, cracked, or misshapen — not damage, but an inherent consequence of production.