This section will deal with coins from the PRINCIPALITY OF MOLDAVIA & WALLACHIA. Moldavia & Wallachia had become vassals of the Ottoman Empire in 15th century, however by mid 1700's, Ottoman power had greatly diminished. As a result, Russian influence started to grow, and had occupied the region in 1739, 1769-74, and 1788-1791. The Russo-Turkish war broke out in 1768 and during this period, a special coinage was introduced. Between 1771 and 1774, coins were struck from the captured Turkish cannons at the mint in SADAGURA (now a municipality in Ukraine). Because of this, these are often called 'Sadagura Coins' by numismatists. The coins came in two denominations, 1 Para/3 Dengi and 2 Para/3 Kopek with varities for both coins. MOLDAVIA & WALLACHIA (PRINCIPALITY)~1 Para/3 Dengi 1772 <Large Crown> MOLDAVIA & WALLACHIA (PRINCIPALITY)~2 Para/3 Kopek 1773
Thanks 'yakpoo'. I found these coins to be particularly interesting due to the fact of where the metal came from. Quite a colorful history behind these coins and the region. ~Daniel.
The coins are special to me, and I have a small type collection of them myself - my daughter also collects them too. I have been to Moldova, but not "officially" - it is a beautiful country but very very poor.
They are very interesting coins, but notoriously difficult to find in collectible grade. Most of the ones found are heavily worn and have very poor striking. Below is an example of the more typical example found, especially for the 2 Para/3 Kopek issues. While this is slightly above average condition compared to some, it shows evidence of weak striking, and a porous surface. MOLDAVIA & WALLACHIA (PRINCIPALITY)~2 Para/3 Kopek 1772
I find very easily the very nice examples of them, but I bought mine in the coin fair in the city, Donets'k this summer: This is my real Para: I also have 2 para, but not imaged and put away.
Hi 'Saor Alba', the first two look to be copies. The last one appears authentic though. I've seen these copies popping up alot on Ebay recently. Nice specimen on the last one. ~Daniel
Oh yes, they are copies that I bought for something like 40 Hryven($5?) or something this summer. Of course I still have an accent in speaking Russian, and seller was thinking I was unknowledgeable foreigner trying to buy them as authentic - I had to convince him to sell them to me because I wanted them as study pieces.
Good to know. These coins look close enough to the real coins that it makes me uneasy. I don't doubt that there will be some unscrupulous sellers who will try to pass these off as genuine. I'm thankful that you knew this and that you didn't pay alot for these. Best regards. ~Daniel.
Curiously in Ukraine I haven't come across any seller that attempted to represent fake stuff as real - rather unlike the USA. But I think in Ukraine there is less of an effort to create fakes to deceive but rather to fill a hole in a representative collection without breaking the budget. So I have bought really nice Konstantin rubles in silver for about 50 hrvn etc. Look anytime on fleeceBay and you see all kinds of sellers, an unfortunate lot in the USA selling Chinese fakes as the real thing.
Kinda looks like a head and 2 lungs to me.... But, heck----- bring on the Eastern block i love it !!! Traci
Sad but true. Like I said, the people who sell replicas AS replicas that's fine. Unfortunately, what happens after that is up for grabs. Some buy replicas if the originals are so rare or so expensive that it's beyond their means. However, other people might knowingly buy replicas, then try re-selling them as genuine. Like you were mentioning, some people buy Chinese fakes and then try to swindle unsuspecting buyers with them. This is why I have a mixed feelings about high quality replicas, especially ones that are not marked as such. This is just my opinion though. ~Daniel
2 para 3 kopeks Dear forum members, This is my first message here, up until now I was just a reader I have a question about the weight of these coins. As far as I know weight is often a good criteria to tell if the coin is fake or not, however it is less reliable for russian copper coins of 18th century. What is the catalog weight of this coin (2 para 3 kopeks 1773, so far I found on the web 22.75 gr but not in an official reference) and how often the actual weight differs from the one found in catalog? The reason I am asking this is that I bought a coin in ebay, VF-F condition visually doesn't look fake but weighs just 16.44 gr. Could it be due to it's age? Thank you very much for any help in this issue. Michael
Thanks 'goossen', I'm glad you liked the thread. No, I'm from the United States. I'm not of Russian heritage either, but I find their history very interesting. Thus I collect Russian and related coins. Many I bought before the prices skyrocketed. I also collect coins from other areas of Eastern Europe (mostly the Balkans). They have quite a unique variation and interesting story to some of them. I posted a link for my thread on Medieval Balkan Coins that you might find interesting. Regards. link: http://www.cointalk.com/t79345/ ~Daniel
