Russian 1992 5 Kopeks

The 1992 5 kopeks coin was one of the first struck by the Russian Federation after the Soviet collapse, using aluminum to cut costs amid economic chaos.

That material choice reflected the hasty transition; the coin's lightweight blanks were likely sourced from whatever scrap was available in Moscow's mints. Its design, a simple double-headed eagle on one side and the denomination on the other, echoed Soviet predecessors but signaled a break. We don't know the exact mintage figures—they weren't well-documented in those turbulent years.

Plenty of myths circulate about these coins being rare, but they're not; I handle them routinely at shows. If you find one, it's probably just been sitting in a drawer since Yeltsin's reforms.