Kazakhstan introduced the tenge in November 1993 as its first sovereign currency following the collapse of the Soviet Union, replacing the Russian ruble at a fixed rate. The 1 tenge was among the founding denominations of that initial coinage program, though the pieces dated from 1997 onward reflect a second-phase production run rather than the original 1993 issues. A magnetic steel-core version was later introduced alongside this nickel brass type, creating a straightforward but occasionally confusing parallel series — the two are externally identical and only a magnet separates them.
Kazakhstan introduced the tenge in November 1993 as its first sovereign currency following the collapse of the Soviet Union, replacing the Russian ruble at a fixed rate. The 1 tenge was among the founding denominations of that initial coinage program, though the pieces dated from 1997 onward reflect a second-phase production run rather than the original 1993 issues. A magnetic steel-core version was later introduced alongside this nickel brass type, creating a straightforward but occasionally confusing parallel series — the two are externally identical and only a magnet separates them.