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5 Rubļi Soviet of Riga
| Issuer | Rīgas Strādnieku Deputātu Padome (Soviet of Riga Workers' Deputies) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
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| In circulation to | 1 January 1920 |
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| Obverse description | The central vignette consists of a large red five-pointed star superimposed over a dark blue cogwheel, with a crossed hammer and pickaxe device at the centre, all set against a fine radiating guilloche underprint in blue and pink. The bold letterpress denomination PEECI RUBĻI arcs across the middle of the note, while the issuer's name runs diagonally along the left and right borders. Below the central device, three lines of text state the legal tender status of the note valid until 1 January 1920, followed by facsimile signatures of the President and Secretary of the Soviet. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a central circular guilloche in blue and pink, from which bold radiating rays extend toward the borders. At the centre sits a pink five-pointed star enclosing the crossed hammer and pickaxe emblem. The bold letterpress inscription PEECI 5 RUBĻI curves across the upper portion of the note, with numeral 5 counters in star-shaped ornaments at upper left and right corners. A three-line anti-counterfeiting warning in Latvian occupies the lower register, threatening prosecution before the Revolutionary Tribunal. |
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| Comments |
The Rīgas Strādnieku Deputātu Padome held power in Riga for roughly five months, from January to May 1919, before Latvian nationalist forces and German Freikorps units under von der Goltz drove the Bolsheviks out. These notes were issued during that brief Soviet occupation as functional currency for a city that had already seen three different governing authorities in under a year. A print run exceeding twelve million for a single denomination — covering a population of perhaps 200,000 — suggests aggressive monetary expansion typical of the period's Soviet administrations.
The issuing body ceased to exist before most of these notes could be withdrawn properly.