Posted 02/12/2026 2:57 pm
Not a double strike but an overstrike, and a pretty scarce one at that; the host coin is a Peter III 2 kopeks from 1762, and specifically a variety with misprinted letters in the denomination (the first variant on the Numista page).
Overstrikes of Catherine II 2 kopeks over Peter III 4 kopeks, and to a lesser extent of 5 kopeks over Peter III 10 kopeks, are relatively common, but 1 over 2 is much scarcer (AFAICT mostly due to much lower mintages of the original; most Peter III coins were overstruck). Very interesting coin!
Don't worry about the weight; they vary a lot for Catherine II coppers. The usual story is that those coins were tested for weight in bulk, with a large amount at once; whatever the reason, they can be quite a bit off the nominal weight (which is indeed 10.24 grams for a 1 kopek). There's also quite a bit of wear, and that probably reduced the weight further (though surely not by 20%; it must have been a lightweight coin to start with).
Overstrikes of Catherine II 2 kopeks over Peter III 4 kopeks, and to a lesser extent of 5 kopeks over Peter III 10 kopeks, are relatively common, but 1 over 2 is much scarcer (AFAICT mostly due to much lower mintages of the original; most Peter III coins were overstruck). Very interesting coin!
Don't worry about the weight; they vary a lot for Catherine II coppers. The usual story is that those coins were tested for weight in bulk, with a large amount at once; whatever the reason, they can be quite a bit off the nominal weight (which is indeed 10.24 grams for a 1 kopek). There's also quite a bit of wear, and that probably reduced the weight further (though surely not by 20%; it must have been a lightweight coin to start with).
