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25 Roubles Odessa
| Issuer | City of Odessa (Одесса) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Size | 143 × 95 mm |
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| Obverse description | Two double-headed eagles flank the central vignette, perched on laurel branches at upper left and right, with the City of Odessa arms (anchor device) enclosed in an oval cartouche at upper centre. The large Cyrillic denomination inscription ДВАДЦАТЬ ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕЙ runs across the upper portion in bold letterpress, below which the legend Разменный билет г. Одессы appears, followed by a text block with the legal obligation clause and the year 1917. The numeral 25 is set at lower centre, with two manuscript signatures and the anti-counterfeiting notice ПОДДЕЛКА ПРЕСЛЕДУЕТСЯ ЗАКОНОМ repeated at each lower corner. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ДВАДЦАТЬ ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕЙ Разменный билет г. Одессы 1917 25 ПОДЕЛКА ПРЕСЛЕДУЕТСЯ ЗАКОНОМ |
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| Comments |
Odessa's municipal authority issued its own currency in 1917 as central monetary control collapsed following the February Revolution. The city — then one of the busiest ports on the Black Sea — acted alongside dozens of other regional bodies, cooperatives, and town councils that filled the void left by a Provisional Government unable to maintain an adequate supply of small change and functioning banknotes across the empire's far-flung territories.
The watermark is the one concession to security on what is otherwise a fairly rudimentary locally produced note. Odessa would change hands multiple times between 1917 and 1920, and notes from this municipal series passed through Ukrainian, White Army, and Soviet-controlled periods in quick succession.