World Coins - Europe，RUSSIAN EMPIRE: Paul I, 1796-1801, AE 5 kopek, Ekaterinberg, 1793 [1797], Cr-59

World Coins - Europe，RUSSIAN EMPIRE: Paul I, 1796-1801, AE 5 kopek, Ekaterinberg, 1793 [1797], Cr-59, Brekke-4, 48mm, EM mint, overstruck on 1796 10 kopeck "Cipher Series" series of Catherine II which in turn is overstruck on an earlier 5 kopek type as part of the 1797 Recoining Program of Paul I, a lovely example! EF. THE 1797 RECOINING PROGRAM OF PAUL I: Overstriking reached its extreme under Paul I. At the end of her reign in 1796, Catherine II changed the monetary standard to 32 rubles to the pood from the 16 rubles to the pood that had existed for most of her reign. The newly minted coins were of a new design: on the obverse, a simple monogram of a script "E" with a "II" superimposed on the middle loop of the "E" accompanied by a number of dots representing the denomination, and the reverse carrying the date and an inscription of the denomination. These are known as the "Cipher Series", and are quite rare, because of the actions of Paul I in 1797. Paul, as crown prince, had opposed the changing of the monetary standard in 1796, but had been overruled by his mother. With his ascension to Czar after Catherines death, he promptly reversed his mothers decision and changed the monetary standard back to 16 rubles to the pood. The problem was that 2,378,400 rubles worth of the newly minted Cipher coins remained. Pauls solution was tried and true: he either melted the earlier coinage or restruck them back into denominations corresponding to the desired monetary standard. His decision was controversial, and, as B.F. Brekke states that "… in order to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the previous administration, the about 2 million rubles worth of lightweight coins was to be overstruck with Catherines design!" It is usually not difficult to discern the coins from Pauls recoining program from coins that were overstruck by Catherine or coins of the same date. Firstly, if the coin shows signs of overstriking, and is dated 1791, 1793, 1794, 1795, or 1796, it is a product of the 1797 recoining program, as no coins were originally overstruck in those years. Secondly, most of the recoined pieces, since they have been overstruck at least twice, are wide and thinner than the typical 5 Kopeck coin of Catherine II, and typically exhibit a lack of detail in the designs. In fact, it is theoretically possible that such a coin may have been struck up to a total of five times.