1 Rouble Dauriyan hedgehog

Part of Russia's ongoing Wildlife series, this rouble was issued the same year the Central Bank of Russia was navigating the aftershocks of the August 1998 financial collapse — a period when commemorative silver programs continued largely uninterrupted despite the ruble losing nearly 75% of its value against the dollar in a matter of weeks. The Daurian hedgehog (Mesechinus dauuricus), native to the steppes of Transbaikalia and Mongolia, remains a poorly studied species and its appearance in a state-issued numismatic program predates most formal conservation assessments of the animal.