Kopeika as the smallest monetary unit was in the process 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 was firmly established in theas a bargaining chip only by the middle of the 18th century. Her appearance in the monetary system, she owes Elena Glinskaya. The wide practice of cutting silver coins seriously undermined the economy of the state. They were circumcised, often up to half their original weight, which caused difficulties in the calculations and, as a result, the discontent of the people.
In 1535 the mother of Ivan the Terrible issued a decree,to which all old coins were withdrawn from circulation and replaced with new ones with a clearly established weight, nominal value and ubiquitous distribution.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 equaled0.68 grams. A coin of a lower denomination was money (0.34 grams). In the course were also polushki, the 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 forscraps of silver wire. Their appearance looked like something between watermelon seeds and fish scales. In numismatics, the term "scales" or "scales" was fixed behind them.
1 kopeck Peter 1: a new monetary system
To the beginning of the reign of Peter the Great in the monetarysystem of the state ripened serious crisis. 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 high-grade coin, and the tsar scornfully called them "lice".
The coin of Peter 1 (1 kopeck) was familiar to usform of a flat disk. To replace the silver coins with copper, the tsar approached cautiously, fearing discontent among the people. In 1700, copper polushki and money were minted, and only in 1704 there was a classical 1 kopeck of Peter 1 - a copper coin, which was equal to 1/100 silver ruble.
As in pre-reform times, it wasdepicted 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 - collectionrarity. 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.
