25 Roubles Russian Ballet, proof

Issued in the final months of the Soviet Union's existence, this coin was part of a broader hard-currency program the USSR used to generate foreign exchange during its terminal economic crisis. The Russian Ballet series targeted Western collectors and dealers, priced well above melt value in a calculated bid for convertible currency the Soviet economy desperately needed.

The 1991 proof striking carries reference CBR#3215-0001 in the Central Bank of Russia's subsequent catalog — a small administrative detail that reflects the institutional continuity imposed on Soviet-era issues after the USSR's dissolution in December of that same year.