Russia Denga, Polushka, Kopek (Novodels) 1801 to 1850

Congrats, JT. It sounds like you have a valuable coin. You must investigate further to be sure. Try to find a knowledgeable collector or coin dealer and figure out exactly what you've got. Look at the large picture near the bottom of this page.

In all likelihood JT has an old novodel coin from Russia. Its denomination is 1 polushka. A polushka is 1/4 kopek and there are 100 kopeks in a rouble. You can see a comparison of Russian spellings of polushka, denga (1/2 kopek), and kopek at this CoinQuest link [PRESS HERE].

Novodels are coins that were produced at a date later than the date on the coin. They are official re-strikes of old coins produced by the Russian mint. JT reports that his coin is in 'well preserved' condition, so there is a high probability that his coin is a novodel rather than an original. Most originals are pretty well beat up, while novodels are in good shape.

Many different novodels have been produced over the years. This page applies to novodels that look like our pictures. Very rough catalog values run like this for polushka, denga, and kopek denominations:

COPPER NOVODELS 1801 TO 1850 WITH DOUBLE HEADED EAGLE
worn: $300 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $600
well preserved: $1200

JT's specific coin, 1802KM polushka, catalogs at $850 in well preserved condition. Remember that catalog values are inflated values. Use our Terminology page to convert catalog values to actual buy and sell values.

DO NOT CLEAN YOUR COIN. CLEANING RUINS VALUE.

The coin in our primary picture comes from Stacks Bowers and CoinQuest thanks them for use of their image.

So, JT, seek out someone to help you further. A good place to find reliable coin dealers is at PNGDealers. If you like, start an e-mail exchange with CoinQuest and send us large, in-focus images of front and back. We may be able to give you a better idea of value.
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