250 Roubles

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic — the first parliamentary democracy in the Muslim world — had a very short window to build functioning state institutions before Soviet forces took Baku in April 1920. This 250 Rouble note was issued during that narrow period of independence, when the republic was simultaneously fighting border conflicts with Armenia and Georgia while trying to establish a credible monetary system from scratch.

The series was printed under considerable logistical constraints, and the notes circulated alongside a chaotic mixture of Transcaucasian, Russian, and locally issued paper. Soviet occupation ended the experiment within months of this denomination's release.