The Coinage of Peter I Part Two: 1701-1704
DURING 1700, COPPER coins were struck for the first time since 1663. Little effort was made to force them into circulation and the Treasury was content to let copper seek its appointed place for the time being. This first year was actually experimental in many respects, with the final form of the designs undergoing change and discussion at the highest levels.
The ongoing monetary reform was of such importance to Czar Peter I that there is little doubt of his direct involvement in the design stage. No doubt it was uppermost in his mind to also honor his father (Czar Alexis) in this process.
The theoretical weight of the denga (half kopeck) in 1700 was 6.40 grams and the polushka (quarter kopeck) was just half as much. These weights varied considerably because the Russian practice, as in the rest of Europe, was to strike so many copper coins to a certain weight rather than weigh individual specimens. In 1700, this meant 64 dengas to the Russian pound (409.51 grams).
By the latter part of 1700, the Treasury had temporarily standardized the obverse and reverse inscriptions of the denga to read (together) “Czar and Grand Duke Peter Alexievich / Autocrat of all the Russias.” One interesting 1700 variation has the reverse legend “Autocrat of
