Sestroretsk Ruble
1771 ・ copper ・ 18th century ・ Sestroretsk
A giant copper coin conceived as backing for Assignation ruble banknotes. It was prototyped at the Sestroretsk factory with the idea of solidifying one ruble's worth of copper into a single coin. It never reached practical use and remained a trial piece. It was an experiment characteristic of a transitional period, attempting to support the lightness of paper with the weight of copper.