50 Kopecks

Vneshtorgbank's certificate series of the late 1970s was never legal tender in the conventional sense. These notes were issued to Soviet citizens and foreign visitors who needed to transact in hard-currency stores — the Beryozka shops — where ordinary rubles were refused. The 50 kopeck denomination handled small purchases in a parallel economy deliberately insulated from the general money supply.

Three distinct series circulated under this system, distinguished by colored stripes on the reverse — dark blue for Soviet citizens who had earned foreign currency abroad, striped yellow for diplomats and foreigners, and a third series without stripes for Soviet sailors. The stripe variant matters considerably to valuation.