Catalog
5 Roubles
| Issuer | Government Bank, Yerevan Branch |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream-white note printed in black by letterpress, with Armenian script (Արաբական) in the upper corners and along the left margin. The central text in Russian Cyrillic identifies this as a cheque of the Erivan Branch of the State Bank, drawn on a special current account of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, dated Erivan, August 1919. The denomination "5 Рублей" appears in bold at the upper right, with two manuscript signatures below for the Minister and the Managing Minister of Finance. |
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| Obverse lettering | ЭРИВАНСКОЕ ОТДЕЛЕНИЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННАГО БАНКА Специальный тек. счет Правительства Республ. Армени Сер Р 10 № 100. Руб. 5 Руб. Эривань, Августъ 1919 г. Предъявитель сего чека имѣетъ получить изъ Эриванскаго Отдѣленія Государственнаго Банка пять рублей Министръ— Управляющій Министерствомъ Финансовъ Наст. чекъ имѣетъ обязательное хожденіе наравнѣ съ кредитными билетами |
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| Comments |
Armenia's 1919 roubles were issued under extraordinary administrative pressure — the short-lived First Republic was simultaneously fighting on multiple fronts against Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Bolshevik forces while trying to establish functioning financial institutions from almost nothing. The Yerevan Branch designation reflects the tenuous regional character of the issuing authority; this was not a central bank in any meaningful operational sense, but an improvised treasury mechanism.
The series is known for poor quality control in printing and paper stock, a direct consequence of supply shortages. The republic itself ceased to exist by late 1920.