1 Som Lightly Armed Warrior

The Kyrgyz som was introduced in 1993 when the republic broke from the ruble zone, making it one of the first former Soviet states to establish an independent currency — a move forced largely by Kyrgyzstan's inability to control ruble printing policy from Moscow. The "Lightly Armed Warrior" belongs to a long-running series celebrating nomadic Kyrgyz culture, specifically the mounted warriors whose cavalry traditions predate the Mongol conquests. Copper-nickel circulation issues from this series see genuine daily use in Bishkek markets, which means worn examples are already the norm less than a decade out.