150 Roubles Armavir

Armavir, a commercial hub in the Kuban region, briefly hosted a branch of the State Bank during the chaotic opening phase of the Russian Civil War. This 150 Rouble note is one of dozens of locally improvised denominations pushed into circulation when central supply lines for currency collapsed entirely in 1918. The branch essentially printed what it needed, which is why the Armavir issues appear in an almost bewildering range of denominations unknown anywhere else in the Russian imperial or Soviet systems.

The sole security feature — an official stamp — reflects the improvised nature of the whole enterprise. Authentication depended on administrative ink, not engraving.