1 Kopeck Foreign Exchange Certificate

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.