Munt van een halve kopeke van Nicolaas I, tsaar van Rusland 1854

This is a copper half-kopek coin, minted in Russia in 1854, during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I. As a medium of exchange, this coin embodies the economic structure of the Russian Empire at the time, but it is also a symbolic object. On one side, we see the imperial crown atop the Tsar’s monogram, asserting his divinely sanctioned authority. On the other, the inscription ‘денежка’ – 'denga' in English – indicates its value. The use of old Cyrillic script roots the coin in Russian tradition, even as it participates in a modernizing monetary system. The coin’s small size belies its immense social significance: it facilitated trade, enabled taxation, and reinforced the Tsar’s power at every transaction. To understand this coin fully, one must delve into the archives, examining the economic policies of Nicholas I and the social impact of his autocratic rule. The historian’s role is to unpack these layers of meaning, revealing how even the smallest artifact can illuminate the grand narratives of history.