I picked this up the other day. The seller warned me that they didn't know if it was an altered date or not, and I decided to roll the dice. According to Krause, the 1916 is a semi-key issue (with 8 million minted, but the vast majority likely melted down or lost due to the messy end of ww1 & the start of the Russian civil war). The 1917 mintage is unknown and Krause just lists the issue as "rare" on their value chart. Have any of these sold in auction recently? Or, are there fakes that anyone else has encountered?
I'd be suspect of this coin's authenticity without third-party authentication. Not to mention, I found a "souvenir coin" on Pinterest that looks rather similar and numerous copies on AliExpress. https://hu.pinterest.com/pin/334040497353216670/ https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4000009607726.html
1. How would "they" go about altering the date on a coin with the numerals recessed into the surface? 2. How much did you pay for a v.rare coin with no price listed in the catalogue?
serdogthehound, posted: "No certified copies at either PCGS or NGC. So it interesting if real." Well, it is C H R I S T M A S!
The details look very wrong. Can you please take a photo of the edge? As this coin is struck in the last year, coins of 1916 and 1917 should have barely circulated.
There appears to be a raised area around the numeral 7 which would cause concern for me. I own a BU example of the 1912 date of the bronze 5 kopek coin and even it was a PITA to find, in fact I got it from Romania.
This is a rare coin and the area around the 17 looks suspicious. It is unlikely to be genuine. NGC doesn't list a mintage, just "rare". With a price only in MS $1000. Linky: https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/russia-5-kopeks-y-12.3-1916-1917-cuid-1087823-duid-1523070
