The tenge was introduced on November 15, 1993, replacing the Soviet ruble after Kazakhstan found itself effectively locked out of the ruble zone following Moscow's unilateral currency reforms earlier that year. The transition gave the National Bank of Kazakhstan roughly two weeks to print and distribute an entirely new national currency — an operation conducted largely in secret to prevent capital flight before the switch.
Twentieth-anniversary commemoratives of this kind are almost always proof-only issues struck at Kazakhmys or the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, with mintages rarely exceeding a few thousand pieces.
The tenge was introduced on November 15, 1993, replacing the Soviet ruble after Kazakhstan found itself effectively locked out of the ruble zone following Moscow's unilateral currency reforms earlier that year. The transition gave the National Bank of Kazakhstan roughly two weeks to print and distribute an entirely new national currency — an operation conducted largely in secret to prevent capital flight before the switch.
Twentieth-anniversary commemoratives of this kind are almost always proof-only issues struck at Kazakhmys or the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, with mintages rarely exceeding a few thousand pieces.