TYPE Early Russia, Great Principality of Tver, Ivan Ivanovich the Young (1486-90), copper pulo, 1.85g DESCRIPTION . Obv: Quadruped (probably dragon) with long claws, long bushy-ended tail and serrate spinal wing to right, linear and dotted borders Rev: 4-line underlined Russian legend VLKOGO KNAZA IVANA IVA (mostly visible) REFERENCE: cf. Sp 54.4 (obv. animal), cf. O 324 (rev.) GRADING: VF, minor flat area, orange-brown patina, rare ORDER INFO: M1013, $185 A tragic and heroic figure, the Muscovite early heir apparent from Ivan III's first marriage, Ivan the Young, unfortunately predeceased his father in 1490 (from a form of arthritis - for which his Venetian doctor was to be severely punished). Ivan's brave and skillful commanding of the Russian army agaist khan Ahmed of the Golden Horde led to the well known 1480 standoff on the Ugra river, which while controversial at the time, ended up being a watershed in Moscow's relations with its erstwhile Tatar overlords. The scarce coinage in his name is of the just annexed Tver Principality, which he governed briefly before his death. Generally, a rare named copper pulo, with name clearly visible, and with an unusual obverse motif.