Catalog
50 Karbovantsiv
| Issuer | State Treasury of Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set against a fine guilloche underprint with a central oval cartouche bearing the denomination '50 КАРБОВАНЦІВ' in bold Cyrillic letterpress. To the left stands a vignette of a male peasant figure with a spade, while to the right a seated female figure in traditional Ukrainian dress holds a sheaf of grain; the Ukrainian trident (tryzub) appears at the top centre beneath the header inscription. Serial number prefix 'АО 201' appears at lower left and lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ЗНАК ДЕРЖАВНОЇ СКАРБНИЦІ 50 КАРБОВАНЦІВ Директор Державної Скарбниці Ходить нарівні з кредитовими білетами |
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| Comments |
This note belongs to the first wave of Ukrainian currency issued following the proclamation of the Ukrainian People's Republic in January 1917 — a state that existed in genuinely contested territory, printing money while simultaneously fighting Bolshevik forces, German occupation, and internal political fragmentation. The 50 karbovanets denomination was designed by Heorhiy Narbut, one of the most distinguished graphic artists of the period, whose work drew heavily on Ukrainian baroque motifs and early Cossack-era ornamental traditions.
Narbut died of typhus in 1920, aged 35, never seeing the republic whose visual identity he had largely shaped.