500 Coupons

Uzbekistan's first post-Soviet currency wasn't called "som" — it was these transitional coupon notes, introduced in 1993 as a parallel currency before the permanent som replaced the Russian ruble entirely that November. The coupons were a stopgap, issued partly to insulate the Uzbek economy from the hyperinflationary collapse of the ruble zone.

High denominations like this 500 note became necessary almost immediately as inflation eroded purchasing power within months of issue. Printed domestically under difficult early-independence conditions, the paper quality reflects the constraints of the period.