Catalog
10 Kopeek
| Issuer | Imperial Japanese Government (Imperatorskoe Yaponskoe Pravitel'stvo) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ИМПЕРАТОРСКОЕ ЯПОНСКОЕ ПРАВИТЕЛЬСТВО ДЕСЯТЬ КОПЕЕК 10 府政國帝本日 |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse centres on a large guilloche medallion enclosing the bold numeral 10, surrounded by fine engine-turned lathe-work. Symmetrical floral rosette vignettes flank the central medallion on both sides, and the numeral 10 is repeated in scallop-bordered squares at each corner, the whole enclosed within a continuous interlocking scallop border. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Japan's occupation currency for use in China and Southeast Asia is well documented, but this kopeek-denominated issue targets a different problem entirely: the administration of Soviet-facing territories and prisoner or labor populations in the northern sphere. The Japanese government issued ruble and kopeek notes under a Russian-language authority title — an unusual decision that signals intended use in areas where Russian remained the functional currency language, most plausibly Manchuria or Sakhalin-adjacent zones.
The series to which P#19 belongs was printed in Japan but designed to pass as quasi-official tender in Russian-speaking hands. Denominations this small had limited purchasing power even then.