I put in a rather low bid for this coin since I knew that I would probably miss the end of the auction. Nevertheless, it would have been "nice to have" ... but not for this price!

1791-AM, 5 kopeek in XF/AU

Does anyone else see a reason for the end price of £59 (about €90 or $115)?

Well..I'm not surprised at all. "AM" mint, decent XF+ condition. Could have been even higher. But the main reason is really simple - someone wanted it badly

Thanks, Oldman. I would have gladly paid up to €50 or so for this coin, but hoped I could buy it for less ... Actually, it seems (to me) much easier to find AM mints in such good condition than EM, and mintage numbers are comparable to EM mint numbers for this year:

AM = 1,003,826.05 for Feb. 1790 - May 1791; 783,623.50 for May 1791 - May 1792;
EM = 1,186,941.00 (all numbers in roubles, not coins)

(source: Brekke).

So I hope to find another without waiting too long! Am I being totally naïve?

Hi bobh, the coin is pretty common. In the JOURNAL OF THE RUSSIAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY, RNS member Steve Moulding recently presented his research on the Cath.II piataks. Over years, he had archived all pictured coins he could find. Of the Grand Total of 4653 pieces, 118 were 5kop1791AM. This made it not only the most common AM date but it was surpassed in number only by 5kop1788EM (158pcs) and 5kop1779EM (122pcs). All the other 5kop coins were seen in smaller numbers. To say it clearly, of the 34 EM dates, 32 were scarcer than the 5kop1791AM! Chances are thus that you will find it again soon in decent condition. That it went this high this time is the result of TWO bidders, who both wanted the coin. Happy hunting, Sigi

Exactly my point above !

Hey Sigi,
Can you find any info on this coin please ? Sorry for interrupting the topic .
The Oldman

Sure, with pleasure! This is a very nice 5kop1766SPM (St.Petersburg), struck over the 10kop1762 as is normal. The underlying coin can be detected clearly on the eagle side, where there we see traces of KO.. (from 10 kopek) and the flag beyond. With 5kop1763SPM being the most common of the SPM dates yours is not seen very often, especially in that nice shape. Congratulations, Sigi

Sigi,
Thanks a lot for your detailed info !

I also like it, even though, stopped collecting some 15 years ago.
Now, when I have more time and $$, I feel like a newborn (for numismatics) again
The Oldman