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| Issuer | Vneshtorgbank USSR (Bank for Foreign Trade of the USSR) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1977-1980 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Sixth Rouble (1961-1991) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Отрезной чек Банка для внешней торговли СССР (выпуск 1980 года) По этому чеку Внешторгбанк СССР выплатит пятьдесят копеек БАНК ДЛЯ ВНЕШНЕЙ ТОРГОВЛИ СССР 50 КОПЕЕК Настоящий чек принимается в уплату за товары и услуги на советских судах, совершающих международный круиз |
| Reverse description | Plain reverse with no printed design, showing only faint offset impression from the obverse through the paper. A small violet control stamp is visible at left. |
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| Comments |
Vneshtorgbank's "Checks for Vneshtorgbank USSR" series — of which this is part — were foreign exchange certificates issued to Soviet citizens and foreign nationals who needed to spend hard currency inside the USSR. The 50 kopeck denomination allowed purchases at Beryozka shops, the closed retail network that accepted only these instruments and was off-limits to ordinary Soviet citizens transacting in rubles. The two-tier currency system was a deliberate mechanism for harvesting foreign exchange from diplomats, returning workers, and the Soviet diaspora.
The series ran across several emissions between 1977 and 1980, distinguished primarily by subtle serial prefix variations rather than any redesign.