100 Roubles Russian Ballet

This piece belongs to the final commemorative program authorized by the Soviet state before dissolution — the USSR ceased to exist in December 1991, and many issues from this year were struck and distributed after the issuing authority had effectively collapsed. The State Bank of the USSR was dissolved and its functions transferred to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, creating unusual provenance questions for late-1991 issues.

The .585 fineness is distinctly Soviet — a holdover from longstanding domestic gold standards rather than the .900 or .999 used by most contemporary bullion programs.