50 Roubles Leo

Part of Russia's ongoing wildlife conservation series, this piece was issued when the Amur leopard — not the African lion the name might suggest — had an estimated wild population of fewer than 50 individuals, making it arguably the most endangered large cat on earth at the time of striking. The Bank of Russia used this series partly as a vehicle for the CITES-aligned conservation messaging that Russia was signaling internationally during its post-Soviet environmental policy realignment.

Mintage for individual issues in this series was typically capped at 1,000 pieces.