Mordovka

мордовки, mordovki) were minted or cast silver and copper plates made in the Middle and Lower Volga region during the 16th to 18th centuries.

They hadn't share Zaikovsky's enthusiasm regarding his findings since they just did not believe the mere idea that Mordvins considered illiterate village folk could ever have their own money.

He lists hidden treasure cites with buckets of mordovkas found and attract numismatists community's attention to the problem of the existing early monetary systems in Volga region and coins authenticity.

Saratov State University scholar Iosif Cherapkin, expert in Moksha language, had examined type A coins and confirmed their authenticity.

[5] ΜΟΛИmoliМолиΑΗСИansiаньцекΟΚΑΗokanоканьΠЄΛΚИpelkiпяли(inscription)(transcription)(interpretation)ΜΟΛИ ΑΗСИ ΟΚΑΗ ΠЄΛΚИmoli ansi okan pelkiМоли аньцек окань пялиGoes only for half goldCherapkin's inscription on the coins as had been attested is written in Old or precisely Middle Moksha [6] in Greek uncial script with digamma 'ͷ' or an unknown variant of Cyrillic without soft signs.

[12][13] Those coins first were described by Vladimir Aunovsky in 1869, he reports they are used in traditional Moksha woman's headdress decoration and they say that was their queen depiction, meaning princess Narchat.

Spassky previously pointed out at huge amount of false coins in Muscovy mint[15] but this type bracteate seems to be formed much earlier, between 1547 and 1565.