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 Replies: 11 / Views: 312 |
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Valued Member
United States
124 Posts |
Greetings, I have some iron Kopeks issued during the reign of Catherine II. They should weigh 51.2gr, dia 42mm, thickness 4mm. Measurements: 1779 - 52.1gr, 42mm, thickness 4mm 1792 - 48.5gr, 43mm, thickness 3mm 1793 - 45.9gr, 42mm, thickness 4mm 1794 - 48.5gr, 44mm, thickness 4mm Since these were stamped out of inferior iron, should I expect these variances in weight and measurements? The 1779 is the one with rim issues and blobs. Rim photo is the coins as listed above. I know most people wouldn't even bother to collect these, but I'm weird that way. Attached are photos, and yes I realize they aren't that great. Please let me know your thoughts.    |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
15745 Posts |
Paul, those are really cool coins! I along with many others on the CCF have these in our collection. Note that these 5 Kopecks were copper, not iron. As for the weight, they are highly variable - this isn't noted on the Numista page, but 51.2 g is just an average. It seems that plus/minus 5 g is an expected range. Mine also has a few rim irregularities. https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces8257.htmlRussia 5 Kopecks 1778: 42.3 mm, 56.9 g  Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Moderator
United States
32709 Posts |
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those are really cool coins! 100% agree that it is nice to have a hockey puck from 18th Century Russia lying around. They don't fit very well in 2x2s though. Mine is dated 1795 and is 43 mm in diameter, but only weighs 44.4 g.  
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
157664 Posts |
I cannot answer any questions, but thank you for sharing the images.  |
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Valued Member
 United States
124 Posts |
Thank you for the nice responses. I have some of these in my collection already, and I did indeed note them as copper. Not sure where my head was at when I said Iron, other than maybe I'm getting old!
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Valued Member
United States
124 Posts |
Also, I enjoy collecting coins such as these. One of my favs is a model 1/8 farthing. 1/32nd of a penny? A tiny little coin that still fascinates me to this day.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
15745 Posts |
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Valued Member
United States
124 Posts |
Whoops, also forgot to respond to comment about coin flip as too small. Consider using 2.5x 2.5 Coin Flips for Silver Eagles and Crowns. They work fine for these huge coins. I like to see the coin rim when carded.
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Valued Member
United States
124 Posts |
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Moderator
Australia
16181 Posts |
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should I expect these variances in weight and measurements? The amount of copper required to strike a ruble's worth of coins varied considerably over the years, due to the rise and fall of global copper prices. I recall seeing a chart showing the rise and fall of the official weight of a copper kopek. The Russians also routinely overstruck old coins from previous monarchs with the new monarch's design. Very often you can see vestiges of the undertype coin on such examples. On Hondo's coin, for example, you can see traces of the undertype's legend to the right of the eagle, above the scroll. When this happened, if the old coin was worn and underweight, well, the new one would be too.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
15745 Posts |
Sap, I never noticed that on my coin! Paul, here is Earle42's method for photographing coins with a cell phone. You can get really good pictures once you've practiced it a few times. Also, it's best to remove coins from the 2X2 for pictures. http://goccf.com/t/422658 Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1739 Posts |
I have a few of these and enjoy the extremely heavy and light ones. My heaviest is 64.3g (43.0mm) and my lightest is 36.0g (44.0mm).
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Replies: 11 / Views: 312 |
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Posted 02/06/2025 1:51 pm
