10 Som 30 Years of Independence

Kyrgyzstan declared independence on August 31, 1991, following the failed coup against Gorbachev earlier that month — one of the quieter exits from the Soviet Union, achieved without the violence that accompanied independence movements elsewhere in the former bloc. The National Bank has marked successive independence anniversaries with collector issues in this series, though domestic demand remains limited given the country's relatively small numismatic market.

KM#94 is among the more recent entries in a commemorative program that stretches back to the mid-1990s, when the som itself was only newly introduced — replacing the Soviet ruble in May 1993.