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50 Kopecks
| Issuer | Imperial Russian Treasury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Cream-toned note with a dark blue decorative border of interlaced foliate scrollwork enclosing the entire design. At centre top, the Imperial Russian double-headed eagle is set within an open wreath of oak and laurel branches. Large bold numerals '50' appear at left and right flanking the central denomination inscription in Cyrillic letterpress. Two lines of Cyrillic text below state the note's legal equivalence to silver coinage. The overall layout is uncluttered, relying on the guilloche underprint and border ornamentation for visual authority. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Russia's Treasury began issuing these small-denomination paper notes in 1915 as silver coinage disappeared from circulation — hoarded by a public that understood what wartime inflation meant. The notes were explicitly designated as coin substitutes, legal tender equivalent to silver but backed by nothing of the kind.
The format was intentional: dimensions close to the coins they replaced, a psychological nudge toward acceptability. It didn't work especially well. The public continued to distrust them, and by 1917 the entire kopeck note series had become a symbol of the Tsarist government's collapsing monetary credibility.