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10 Kopecks - Foreign Exchange Certificate
| Issuer | Vneshtorgbank (Bank for Foreign Trade of the USSR) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1965-1966 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Black text on light orange underprint within a dark green guilloche frame. A diagonal yellow band crosses the note. The Vneshtorgbank globe-and-ribbon logo appears at upper left, with Cyrillic inscriptions naming the issuer and denomination in bold letterpress. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain light paper background bearing a large central green guilloche vignette of scalloped oval form, filled with intricate lathe-work scrollwork and floral arabesques in two tones of green, without any text or denomination. |
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| Comments |
Vneshtorgbank's Foreign Exchange Certificates were introduced to manage hard currency among Soviet citizens and foreigners who had legitimate access to it — diplomats, sailors, technical specialists working abroad, and their dependents. The certificates circulated in a parallel economy, redeemable at Beryozka shops for Western goods unavailable through normal Soviet retail channels. That two-tier system was the entire point: capture foreign currency, redirect it through state-controlled retail, and prevent dollar or mark holdings from feeding a black market the state could not monitor.
The 1965–1966 series is sometimes called the "yellow stripe" series, distinguishing it from the later issues. Forgeries targeting Beryozka shops were a known problem by the early 1970s.