100 Roubles Barnaul

Barnaul, the administrative center of the Altai region, issued its own currency in 1918 as central authority collapsed following the Bolshevik seizure of power. These local emission notes filled an acute cash vacuum — Siberian rail and trade networks were still functioning but Petrograd-issued currency had become unreliable or simply unavailable at the periphery. Dozens of towns across western Siberia did the same thing that year, each producing notes of varying quality and legitimacy.

The S1268 series encompasses several signature and overprint variants, of which E is among the less commonly encountered. Many Barnaul issues were repudiated quickly once the Provisional Siberian Government asserted control and began consolidating regional currencies under Omsk.