Belarus redenominated its currency in 2000, replacing the first rouble series at a rate of 1,000 old roubles to one new rouble. This 1999 issue belongs to the final years of that original post-Soviet currency, circulating through a period of severe inflation that had already rendered smaller denominations economically worthless. The National Bank had been issuing progressively higher face values throughout the 1990s simply to keep pace with collapsing purchasing power.
Belarus redenominated its currency in 2000, replacing the first rouble series at a rate of 1,000 old roubles to one new rouble. This 1999 issue belongs to the final years of that original post-Soviet currency, circulating through a period of severe inflation that had already rendered smaller denominations economically worthless. The National Bank had been issuing progressively higher face values throughout the 1990s simply to keep pace with collapsing purchasing power.