Russian 1998 10 Kopeks

This 1998 10 kopek coin was struck from steel, a pragmatic switch from the copper-zinc alloys of earlier decades, driven by Russia's post-Soviet budget constraints.

That steel planchet, sourced from domestic mills, gave the coin a duller finish than its predecessors. On the obverse, you'll find the double-headed eagle of the Russian Federation; the reverse shows the denomination in a simple sans-serif font. Weighing about 1.95 grams and measuring 17.5 millimeters across, it's a modest piece from the Yeltsin era, when inflation made every kopek count.

Mintage figures for 1998 are murky; official records from that period are incomplete, possibly lost in bureaucratic reshuffles. What we do know is that these coins circulated widely before being phased out.

Some collectors overlook it for shinier items, but that's their loss.