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3 Kopecks Postage Stamp Currency
| Issuer | Russian Empire (Treasury) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rouble (1700-1917) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Stamp-money note printed in carmine-red on ungummed perforated paper, with a central oval vignette containing a portrait of Tsar Alexander III in military uniform, set within a rectangular frame with cut corners. The denomination numeral '3' appears in the lower left and right corners, with the Cyrillic legends 'КОП' and 'ПОЧТА' centred below the portrait. The monogram 'А' with imperial cypher appears at upper left and right flanking the oval. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Stamp-style perforation on all four sides, characteristic of the postage stamp currency series issued during WWI coin shortage. |
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| Comments |
Russia's 1917 coin shortage was severe enough that the Treasury authorized postage stamp designs to be printed on cardboard and circulated as small change — a scheme first introduced in 1915 under Finance Minister Bark. The 3 Kopeck stamp currency (Pick 34) belongs to that same desperate logic: familiar imagery pressed into monetary service because metal had been consumed by the war effort.
The perforated edges are a genuine oddity in currency terms — retained from the stamp production process rather than added for any anti-counterfeiting purpose. Some examples were separated cleanly, others badly torn along the perfs, which remains the primary condition issue collectors encounter.