5 Roubles

Vneshtorgbank certificates were a hard-currency proxy system, not ordinary money. Issued to Soviet citizens and foreign visitors who held convertible currency, these notes allowed purchases at Beryozka ("birch tree") shops — a parallel retail network stocking imported goods unavailable in the regular economy. The 5-rouble denomination was practical for everyday Beryozka transactions: alcohol, cigarettes, cosmetics.

The certificates circulated in two series distinguished by strip color — a yellow-strip version for Soviet citizens converting foreign earnings, and a blue-strip version for foreign visitors. The two were deliberately non-interchangeable, closing off arbitrage between domestic and foreign holders. Possession of foreign-currency certificates by unauthorized Soviet citizens was a criminal offense under Article 88 of the RSFSR Penal Code.