After a nearly 7 year quest to complete my Siberia type set, I started out with the Kopek and slowly acquired all of the denominations, including the scarce Denga or half kopek. But I never found a nice enough Polushka, or 1/4 kopek until today. Now I have a complete type set of Siberian coins.



Siberian coins were minted to alleviate a coin shortage in eastern Russia during the 1760's. Because the metal refining technology was not available so far out, there were trace amounts of silver and gold in the bronze which could not be removed from the copper. As a result this necessitated the coins having to be smaller in size to offset the difference in the intrinsic value compared with Russian coins minted in Sankt Peterburg or in Moskva. They were also given a distinctive design from their Russian cousins.

In 1782 the Kolyvan mint acquired more modern refining techniques and it was able to refine out the trace gold or silver in the copper, and the Siberian coin series was discontinued, and only regular Russian coins were manufactured after that time at that mint.

Siberian coins continued to circulate in Siberia, and in Russian American until the second quarter of the 19th century, after which time they dropped out of regular circulation.

Wow! Congrats on the completion. That is quite impressive, especially when considering the coins involved.

Congratulations. A terrific accomplishment.

I guess I should have mentioned, there are 1/4 Kopek, 1/2 Kopek, 1 Kopek, 2 Kopek, 5 Kopek, and 10 Kopeks coins to complete the set, the last five coins were easy to find in nice condition, but the polushka or 1/4 kopek was rare to begin with coupled with it's dimunitive size makes it practically impossible to find in collectible grades.

Beautiful, and congrats!

Well done that man. A VERY difficult set to put together in collectable grades. These coins are rarely seen on the market at all these days....in ANY condition!


I like these russian / siberian coppers. There's a heft to them (even the small denom.) that tells you that they mean business as `money'

Ian

Congratulations, Україна ... That's a terrific accomplishment

The Siberian polushka is a tough type coin and this is a nice one. Congratulations!

Was it an auction or private sale? Many people would have just settled for an easier to find novodel rather than holding out for an original in decent shape.

I tend to hold out and not even bother to upgrade. It was a private sale.

Congratulations! The story of the hunt sounds even more interesting than the history of the coins.

Congrats!