Russian Empire, Alexis I, Yefimok 1655

In 1655, to finance the Second Nordic War, Tsar Alexis I (1645-1676) began to counterstamp German and Dutch talers with the image of the tsar on horseback. The western coins were first hammered flat, and then countermarked – which is the reason for the unusual appearance of the jefimki. In 1659, they were demonetized again, and withdrawn from circulation.