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Polushka - Nikolai I
| Issuer | Imperial Russian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1849-1855 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Cyrillic |
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| Reverse description | The denomination ПОЛУШКА (Polushka) is inscribed in large, bold Cyrillic capital letters across the centre of the field, occupying the majority of the available space. Below the denomination legend appears the date 1850 followed by a stop, and beneath that the mint mark Е.М. (Ekaterinburg Mint), likewise separated by stops. The Imperial crown, identical in type to that depicted on the obverse, surmounts the entire composition from the upper field. The reverse is devoid of a surrounding wreath or border legend, presenting a clean, functional layout typical of Nicholas I-era copper minor coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The polushka — a quarter-kopek — was the smallest denomination in circulation during Nicholas I's reign, and by the 1840s it was barely worth producing. The coin's continued minting into the Crimean War years reflects the Russian treasury's stubborn adherence to a copper-heavy monetary infrastructure even as military expenditure strained state finances. Copper coinage of this period was struck at the Ekaterinburg mint, which by mid-century handled the bulk of low-denomination production for the empire's vast interior markets.