Alexey Mikhailovich Denga

The Alexey Mikhailovich denga, a copper coin, was minted in such massive quantities that it fueled the 1662 Copper Riot in Moscow, as people realized their savings were worth less than the metal they were made from.

Struck from low-purity copper, often on uneven planchets hammered out in state mints, these coins represented a desperate shift from silver currency. That move, under Alexey's reforms, aimed to fund wars but instead sparked economic chaos. Variations exist, like the ones with the tsar's monogram or simple cross designs, but details on exact die types remain murky.

We don't know the precise mintage figures; records likely burned in later fires or were never kept properly. If you're handling one, note the wear—most show heavy circulation, a testament to their everyday use.

Plenty of fakes circulate, which might make you chuckle if you're as jaded as I am after three decades in this field.