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1 Kopeck Foreign Exchange Certificate
| Issuer | Vneshtorgbank (Bank for Foreign Trade of the USSR) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1967-1975 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | FX50 |
| Obverse description | Light violet note with Cyrillic text at centre stating the bearer will be paid one kopeck by Vneshtorgbank USSR; denomination numeral '1' within a guilloche rosette vignette at right, with series letter 'А' below. Two manuscript signatures appear above the issuing bank's name, with a serial number at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain unprinted reverse in off-white, with faint ghosting of the obverse text visible through the thin paper stock. No design elements, inscriptions, or vignettes are present. |
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| Comments |
Vneshtorgbank's Foreign Exchange Certificates were introduced to manage hard currency flowing into the Soviet Union from foreign workers, diplomats, and tourists — people who held convertible currency the state wanted to absorb without granting them access to ordinary Soviet retail. These small-denomination certificates circulated exclusively in Beryozka shops, a parallel retail network where imported and otherwise unavailable goods could be purchased outside the standard ruble economy.
The 1-kopeck value is functionally the smallest unit of this system and rarely appeared in significant quantities in any single transaction. Surviving examples tend to show heavy handling — the low face value meant they passed through many hands as change.