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20 Kopecks
| Issuer | Russian Empire (Ministry of Finance) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Kopecks (20 Копеек) (0.20) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Stamp-money note printed in olive-grey on pink paper, with perforated edges in the style of a postage stamp. A central oval vignette contains a bust portrait of Tsar Alexander I facing slightly left, framed by laurel branches on either side. The denomination '20 КОП' appears in large figures at the foot of the design, with the inscription 'ПОЧТА' at the top. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain pink paper reverse with a simple rectangular border frame enclosing the Imperial double-headed eagle at the top centre. Below the eagle, a multi-line Cyrillic text inscription states the note's legal equivalence to silver coinage. |
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| Comments |
These tiny notes were emergency currency, issued by the Ministry of Finance after silver coinage disappeared from circulation at the outbreak of the First World War — hoarded by the public almost overnight. The Kazansky expedition of the State Paper Manufactory printed them in Moscow, not St. Petersburg, which was already under severe wartime production strain.
They were explicitly designated as legal tender equivalent to silver coin, a claim the public received with predictable skepticism. Tear lines between notes were often poorly registered, resulting in ragged separations that collectors sometimes mistake for trimming damage.