I bought this coin about 12 years ago at a coin show. It's a 20 ruble coin from the Khwarezm Soviet People's Republic dated 1339 AH/ 1921 AD. The curious thing is the obverse of the coin shows the pattern of the 20 ruble coin, but the reverse is the pattern of the 100 ruble coin. It measures 23 mm in diameter. From what I can tell, it's either a mule that's unlisted, or the coin is spurious. Maybe someone can help me identify this?

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I don't know much about these issues, but I don't think they were widely collected or particularly high-priced 12 years ago, so the coin seems an unlikely target for a counterfeiter.

Of course, OTOH, as someone pointed out recently, there are counterfeit 1921 silver dollars around (but they would likely be easier to sell).

Thanks for the input. Hopefully you're correct. However ,if this is a counterfeit, I wonder why someone use mismatched dies? I also noticed that coin seems to be machine struck rather than hammered. The coin is perfetctly rounded with a smooth edge, as opposed to the crude and rough edging of the other denominations. Either way, it's an interesting conversation piece.

Again, I'm in over my head here.

I don't know about the apparent muling, but there are early USSR issues struck with state arms dies intended other denominations.

Maybe the die combination was not considered important? I wonder what the Islamic script says?

Maybe these were machine struck if machinery was available, otherwise by different methods? They have the appearance of having been made in primitive conditions.

Maybe someone here with access to information in Russia will have the answers.

I don't know much about Khwarezm coins except that in the early 90's these coins were heavily counterfeited.

Well, I learned something new today.

Do the fakes look like the coin shown?

I never bought one, and they looked a lot newer back then, but I would say yes.