Here is one reason "novodels" were offically produced by some of the Russian mints: Collectors wanted to complete their collections but some coins that were produced for circulation were very scarce, difficult & sometimes next to impossible to obtain, so the mint struck more to satisfiy this collector demand. There are ways to distinguish between novodels & circulation strikes, sometimes it's edge differences. There are other differences as well, all of which I am not aware. While novodels are not as valuable as the original circulation strikes, they can still be scarce & have significant value. A good example is an original circulation strike of a particular coin may have a retail value of $3500.00 in EF it's novodel equivilent would typically have a valuation of $150.00 to $200.00. I'm no expert on novodels, but I know enough to say that if you choose to invest in them you should do your research. Another thing just came to mind some novodels had their raised charateristics strenghtened & refined & looked better than the original circulation strikes. Some liken them to a type of proof coinage. I own a few, which I bought at what I considered favoralble prices but wouldn't buy any more until I did my research more throughly. Thanks for letting me share.