1 kopeck of Peter 1 as a symbol of the era

Kopeika as the smallest monetary unit was in the course of time long before the arrival of Peter the Great. Nevertheless, it became a true symbol of the Petrine era.

Silver "scales" and coins of the pre-Petrine time

1 kopeck of Peter 1 became firmly in use as a bargaining chip only by the middle of the 18th century. Her appearance in the monetary system, she owes to Elena Glinskaya. The wide practice of cutting silver coins seriously undermined the economy of the state. They were often cut to half their original weight, which caused difficulties in the calculations and, as a result, discontent of the people.

In 1535 the mother of Ivan the Terrible issued a decree according to which all old coins were withdrawn from circulation and replaced with new ones with clearly established weight, nominal value and ubiquitous distribution. In fact, it was the first nationwide monetary system.

The weight of the silver penny Elena Glinskaya was 0.68 grams. A coin of a smaller denomination was money (0.34 grams). In the course there were also polushki, weight of which was taken from half of a coin or quarter of a penny. The smallest monetary unit before the beginning of the 18th century was a copper pool.

Coins in the pre-Petrine era were minted on prunings of silver wire. Their appearance reminded me of something between watermelon seeds and fish scales. In numismatics, the term "scales" or "scales" was fixed behind them.

1 kopeck of Peter 1: a new monetary system

By the beginning of the reign of Peter the Great , a serious crisis was on the way in the state's monetary system. In the process, there were still old scales, but their weight decreased almost threefold. They reminded me more of a water-melon grain than a full-value coin, and the tsar scornfully called them "lice".

The coin of Peter 1 (1 kopeck) had the usual form of a flat disk. To replace the silver coins with copper, the king approached cautiously, fearing discontent among the people. In 1700 copper cups and money were minted, and only in 1704 there was a classical 1 penny of Peter 1 - a copper coin, which was equal to 1/100 of silver ruble.

As in the pre-reform times, it depicted a rider with a spear, on the back there was an inscription. Up until 1718, new copper kopecks and old silver coins existed in parallel, until the latter were finally replaced.

Numismatic value

Today 1 copeck of Peter 1 is a collection rarity. Especially valuable are the earliest copper coins of 1704. Their cost reaches 25 thousand rubles. Coins of 1705 and later are much more modest. Nevertheless, they are also of considerable interest for numismatists and lovers of antiquity.