5 Kopecks without red bond

Soviet postal-fiscal hybrids of this type were issued under the authority of the USSR State Bank but functioned simultaneously as low-denomination currency and prepaid postage instruments — a dual-purpose arrangement that was practically unique among major industrialized economies of the period. The "without red bond" designation distinguishes this printing from the variant carrying a red serial bond stripe, a difference significant enough to warrant separate catalog listings despite the notes being otherwise nearly identical in use and distribution.

Heavily circulated examples are the norm. These passed through millions of hands daily and were rarely treated as anything worth preserving.