1856 Russia 15 Kopeks Nicholas I

The 1856 15 kopeks coin was struck with Nicholas I's portrait even though he died in March 1855, a quirk of imperial bureaucracy that kept the dies in use.

That decision likely stemmed from the St. Petersburg Mint's habit of recycling designs. The coin's reverse shows the imperial eagle, its wings spread wide, with the denomination clearly marked. Copper composition was standard, but records from that year are spotty; we know it was part of a series that included larger denominations.

Exact mintage figures? Gone, probably in one of those 19th-century archive fires. Collectors sometimes mistake these for earlier issues, but that's just lazy attribution.

Mint errors were common then; this one might show a weak strike on the eagle's talons.