II. Overstruck Copper Coins of Other Russian Rulers

Although Catherine the Great was the most prolific overstriker of copper coins, she was by no means the first. Earlier monarchs started the practice.

Anna Ivanovna (1730-40)

Under Anna Ivonovna, polushkas (1/4 kopeck) and dengas (1/2 kopeck) were struck over one kopeck pieces of Peter the Great, which were struck in two different weights, 4.1 and 8.19 grams.

Dengas were struck over the larger 1 kopeck pieces, which were of two types. The two dengas pictured below were struck over the different types (KM 117.1 and KM 118). The two types may bedistinguished by the letter style of the inscription

Elizabeth (1741-61)

The next major type often found overstruck is the "Baroque" kopeck of 1755-57 during the reign of Elizabeth. These were struck over five kopeck pieces of the cruciform type minted from 1723-30under Peter I and Catherine I. In the piece pictured below, the cruciform design is clearly visible. In a twist on the usual situation where the date of the undertype may not be clearly determined,the date of this kopeck is not visible.

In 1757, Elizabeth changed the monetary standard so that two kopeck pieces were changed to the weight of the currently circulating one kopeck pieces. Thus, two kopeck pieces of 1757-1762 are oftenfound struck over the old "Baroque" kopecks. As in other overstrikes, the amount of the undertype showing ranges from minimal to large scale. In the piece pictured below, only the date of theundertype is visible, but is sufficient to identify the undertype.

In this piece, the mintmark as well as some of the clouds design of the undertype is visible.

The following two kopeck pieces shows not only some of the clouds of the "baroque" kopeck undertype, but also traces of the cruciform five kopeck piece that the kopeck was struck over.

On this 1757 two kopeck piece, only the tips of the eagle's wings on the undertype are visible, but, because of its distinctiveness, the undertype is clearly identifiable.

For comparison, here is a non-overstruck "Baroque" kopeck:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
THE 1797 RECOINING PROGRAM OF CZAR PAUL I OF RUSSIA (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n08a30.html)
IDENTIFYING OVERSTRUCK RUSSIAN COPPER UNDERTYPES: PART I (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n48a22.html)