The kopek or kopeck ( rus, копейка, p=kɐˈpʲejkə, ukr, копійка, translit=kopiika, p=koˈpʲijkə, be, капейка) is or was a coin or a currency unit of a number of countries in Eastern Europe closely associated with the economy of Russia. It is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system; 100 kopeks are worth 1 ruble or 1 hryvnia. Originally, the kopeck was the currency unit of

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and then the Soviet Union (as the

Soviet ruble The ruble or rouble (russian: рубль) was the currency of the Soviet Union, introduced in 1922, replacing the Imperial Russian ruble. One ruble was divided into 100 kopecks ( – ''kopeyka'', ''kopeyki''). Soviet banknotes and coins were pr ...

). , it is the currency unit of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The Russian kopeck is also used in two regions of Georgia, the

partially recognised states A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined terri ...

(including by Russia) of

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

and South Ossetia. In the past, several other countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union had currency units that were also named kopecks. The name of the coin of Azerbaijan comes from the word kopeck – gapik, ( az, qəpik, manat). No country's kopeck is currently subdivided, although the denga (½ kopeck) and polushka (¼ kopeck) were

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off and on for centuries, until the fall of the Romanov dynasty in February 1917 (O.S.) / March 1917 (N.S.).

Origins

The word ''kopek'', ''kopeck'', ''copeck'', or ''kopeyka'' (in russian: link=no, копейка, ''kopeyka'') is a diminutive form of the Russian ''kop'yo'' (копьё)—a spear. The first kopek coins, minted at

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

and

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

from about 1534 onwards, show a horseman with a spear. From the 1540s on, the horseman bore a crown; doubtless the intention was to represent

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

, Grand Prince of all Russia until 1547, and

Czar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

thereafter. Subsequent minting of the coin, starting in the 18th century, instead bore Saint George striking down a serpent with spear, hence kopek from ''kop'yo'' (копьё). File:Kopek Ivan IV.jpg, kopeck of Ivan IV of Russia File:Fedor borisovich.jpg, kopeck of

Feodor II Fyodor II Borisovich Godunov (russian: Фёдор II Борисович Годунов) (1589 – 20 June 1605) was tsar of Russia during the spring of 1605, at the beginning of the Time of Troubles. Life Fyodor II was born in Moscow, the son a ...

, circa 1605 File:5Kopeken1783FH.jpg, copper five-kopecks coin of Catherine II, 1783 File:50Kop1921.PNG, Russian SFSR 50 kopeck coin, 1921 File:20 копеек СССР 1982 г.jpg, Soviet 20 kopeck coin, 1989 File:50 копеек РФ 1997 г.jpg, Russian 50 kopeck coin, 2003 File:50 kopijok 2014.jpg, Ukrainian 50 kopiyok, 2014

Expressions

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, ''kopeck'' usually designates something of little value or interest: "cela ne vaut pas un kopek"

References

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External links

{{coin-stub Denominations (currency) Coins of Azerbaijan Coins of Russia Coins of Ukraine Coins of Belarus