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2 Kopecks
| Issuer | Russian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Stamp-money (marka-den'gi) note printed in green, with a perforated border in imitation of a postage stamp. A central oval vignette contains a portrait of Emperor Alexander II in military uniform, surrounded by a fine guilloche underprint. The Cyrillic inscription ПОЧТА (Post) appears on a ribbon at the top, with the denomination numeral 2 flanking the imperial cipher АII at the base, above the legend КОП. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain light grey paper reverse with a simple black rectangular border frame. The Imperial Russian double-headed eagle is printed at the top centre, below which the denomination КОП. 2 КОП. is set in large bold Cyrillic type. A four-line Cyrillic legend occupying the lower portion states the note's legal equivalence to copper coinage. |
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| Comments |
The 2 Kopeck stamp-money notes of 1915 were a direct consequence of wartime coin hoarding — silver and copper disappeared from circulation almost immediately after mobilization, and the Treasury's emergency solution was to back-print postage stamp designs on card-like paper and declare them legal tender. The State Duma authorized the scheme in August 1914; by 1915 the format was refined into these tiny treasury notes, technically "Marki-Dengi" or stamp-money, distinguished from the slightly earlier gummed cardboard versions by the absence of adhesive backing.
The reverse carries the imperial eagle alongside text explicitly stating these notes are equivalent to silver coinage — a claim the public greeted with considerable skepticism.