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| Issuer | City of Odessa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Value | 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 | The arms of Odessa at centre within an oval cartouche, consisting of a double-headed eagle above a shield bearing an anchor, surrounded by ornate scrollwork and foliate arabesques. The entire design is printed in olive-green on white paper, with decorative corner elements framing the composition. The denomination "20 КОП" appears in bold letterpress at the foot of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | РАЗМѢННАЯ МАРКА г.Одессы поддѣлка преслѣдуется закономъ |
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| Comments |
Odessa's municipal administration began issuing its own fractional notes in 1917 as small-denomination coins vanished from circulation — a problem that plagued virtually every city in the former Russian Empire following the February Revolution. Hundreds of local authorities, zemstvos, and cooperatives improvised their own scrip that year, but Odessa's issues were among the more formally executed, backed by the city duma rather than a private enterprise or cooperative.
The kopeck-denomination notes circulated alongside a chaotic mixture of Tsarist, Provisional Government, and eventually Ukrainian People's Republic currency. By 1918 Odessa had changed hands multiple times, and most of this municipal scrip was rendered worthless long before any formal demonetization.