In 1860, Russia seemed to be testing out the silver reduction process which did not seem to go too successfully.

But what happened in the following year? It seems that there are coins without mintmasters and given special edging. What do these represent? The Uzedenikov that I have does not give any indication of what they could mean. I was suspecting that a foreign mint, perhaps Brussels was involved but this cannot be true, as the early Brussels or Paris speciment was only from 1863.

So what is going on?