Bitkin 8. Basok 16. Very rare.

Crown validation stamp at the base of the reverse.

q.FDC.

This is a private issue intended for trade in southeastern Europe, particularly the Balkans; it did not circulate within Russia. The type is based on the model of the four Austrian ducats of Franz Joseph I of Habsburg, which were widely accepted in trade at the time, integrating stylistic and symbolic elements from various sources.

The coinage features an unusual combination of Austrian, Russian, and Bulgarian influences: the presence of six Russian provincial escudos on the eagle's wings is, in fact, an element foreign to official Russian coinage. The probable Bulgarian provenance, in a context of Russian patronage, is reinforced by the countermark and the historical context.

The reference to Alexander II is likely a tribute to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, which led to Bulgaria's independence from the Ottoman Empire.