Dear community,

Today I received the most puzzling coin I've ever had.

This is a 5 kopek 1889 of a completely different design compared with a regular coin:



Just to compare with the regular one:



The piece is very interesting - it is smaller, does not have a mintmark (SPB) but a star instead of it, no mint master initials under the eagle, and the word "kopeek" is misspelled - the last letter is "Б" instead of "ъ".

This coin is minted, there are no cast signs, details build a clean 90 degree angle to the surface. The edge is reeded. The weight is 0,60 gramm, 1.5 times less than the regular issue.

My personal opinion - This is a contemporary false coin for circulation, a very interesting exemplar.

What do you think about?

The different size makes me wonder if it is not some kind of privately-made jeton used for gambling in the 1890s or early 1900s. The contemporary fakes that I have seen for this period are fairly close copies of the original, for design and size. I have not, however, seen any of this denomination.

RWJ

Would that be legal to make privately a jeton similat to legal tender with imperial coats-of-arms and tsar's regalia w\out permission? Seems unlikely, imho.

I think it is unlikely to be a contemporary counterfeit. The difference in size and appearance is too great to allow it any reasonable chance to pass into circulation.

Maybe a spielmark token for playing games is more likely. Play money?

Token of the denomination 5 kopeks doesn't make much sense. What is more odd is the wrong character of the letter "b" of the last letter of the "kopek".

What is more odd is who would exactly go so far to reed the coin.

Neither counterfeit or tokens make any sense - if it's for counterfeit purposes, the size is unusually to small, if it's for token purposes, the cost would be too high - you normally don't see reeded tokens do you.

I agree that counterfeiting can be ruled out, but think that tokens (gambling chips) are the answer.

Although I have no direct knowledge of Moscow or St. Petersburg gambling houses before 1917, one would think that they existed. It would not have been all that expensive for one of these establishments to have the pieces made. The edge reeding is no more expensive than a plain edge as this is merely a question of which collar is put in the press; plain-edged tokens also use a collar. The reeding, however, would keep counterfeiters of the tokens at bay as reeded-edge pieces present an added level of security.

The spelling error was probably deliberate.

RWJ

Concur w/ RWJ. The piece looks very similar to French and British jetons. It also has the grainy look of lightly corroded base metal.

As RWJ noted, it takes little extra effort to produce a reeded collar. Heck some of the tokens I've used at the driving range (golf) had a reeded edge.

I've never seen this particular piece, but for me it looks more like a privite issue coin-like jeton made to pay for goods at a factory's store (заводская лавка). Most likely mintage was ordered by owners of that factory somewhere in Germany or France, therefore spelling errors.

WCO