One of the perks of richness and nobility during the Russian Empire often translated into copies of rare coins called novodels.

Modern collectors who must make do with reproductions of famous U.S. numismatic rarities may well yearn to have lived during a period when they could receive essentially “made-to-order” Russian coins for their collections.

According to R. Scott Carlton’s International Encyclopedia of Numismatics, “novodel” means “new made.” It is also referenced as “newly minted,” in The Copper Coinage of Imperial Russia 1700-1917 by B.F. Brekke.