50 Roubles The European Beaver

Part of Russia's long-running Wildlife series, this issue coincides with a period when the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) was still recovering from near-extinction across much of its range — Soviet-era hunting and habitat loss had reduced the species to isolated pockets, and coordinated reintroduction programs only began showing measurable population gains in the 1990s. The Bank of Russia has used the Wildlife series consistently since 1993 to document species of conservation concern, occasionally issuing companion silver pieces at higher mintages alongside the gold.