Russia - Romanov 1917 10 Kopeck

Last year of the Romanovs Under Nicholas II and the first of the Bolshevik Revolution - 1917. Very scarce and popular date! St.Petersburg mint (17.6M, where are they now?) - by Victor Smirnov. Population graded MS65 or greater is under 20 for PCGS & NGC combined!
Due to economic and political disruption by 1915 the minting of small silver coins at the Petrograd mint became difficult. Inflation and hoarding made it impossible to keep up with demand. The USA was approached for minting assistance, but Woodrow Wilson disliked the imperial regime and declined to help. The Russians turned to Japan who agreed to do the work at the Osaka mint. Russian agents purchased silver from the Chinese and shipped it to Japan. While tens of millions of 10 & 15 Kopek coins were struck, most of them never reached Moscow or Petrograd, and were held in the Far East at Vladivostok. It appears that most were either melted or transferred to bullion dealers, which might explain why so many of them ended up in America and Europe while they were scarce in Russia. By 1916 production had stopped but there was a very limited issue in 1917 for payments to special areas (Petrograd, St. Petersburg mint) and these 1917 issues were never actively circulated. By August 1917 even this limited production was halted and they became the last coins issued in the name of Imperial Russia.
In Russia, the double-headed eagle is one of the nation’s most prominent national symbols, although there are several theories behind the meaning of this unusual creature. Some historians theorize that in 1497, when Ivan III borrowed the idea of the two-headed eagle from the Byzantines, he wanted to associate himself with the power of the fallen empire. From then on, the double-headed eagle was often employed by the monarchy and frequently featured on coronation regalia. However, since the two heads face different directions, it’s widely believed that the double-headed eagle represents the geographical position of Russia, as it spans from the Baltic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west.
For a great review of Russian coins from "Rus through the Revolution"is in the Library at:
Russian Coins - 1000 Years: contact me for email attachment of .pdf file.