Catalog
50 Kapeikas
| Issuer | Latvijas Pagaidu valdība (Latvian Provisional Government) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Reference(s) | P#12 |
| Obverse description | The face is printed in dark rose-brown on an all-over fine guilloche lattice ground that covers the entire field. At centre, the large white numeral '50' is set within an oval guilloche rosette composed of intricate lace-pattern underprint rings. The curved inscription 'LATWIJAS MAIŅAS SIHME' arches across the upper portion, while the denomination 'KAP.' appears in bold block letters beneath the central numeral. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | LATWIJAS MAIŅAS SIHME 50 KAP. |
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| Comments |
Latvia's Provisional Government issued this 50 Kapeikas note during a period when the new Latvian ruble was still competing with German occupation marks and Russian imperial rubles left over from the war. The kapeikas series — tiny by any measure — was a stopgap for small transactions while the country built its monetary infrastructure from scratch, having only declared independence in November 1918.
The 1920 dating places it after the armistice with Soviet Russia but before the lats replaced the ruble in 1922. Survival rates are surprisingly decent given the denomination's everyday use.