Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5000 Roubles 5% FREEDOM LOAN DEBENTURE BONDS
| Issuer | Provisional Government of Russia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Emergency banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Printed in black on white paper, the obverse centres on a neoclassical vignette of the State Duma building set within an oval frame flanked by laurel branches. The heading ЗАЕМЪ СВОБОДЫ (Freedom Loan) appears in large bold Cyrillic lettering across the upper portion, with the denomination В ПЯТЬ ТЫСЯЧЬ РУБЛЕЙ (Five Thousand Roubles) stated below the central vignette. The lower half carries a patriotic appeal text in Cyrillic, followed by multiple manuscript signatures of ministers, with the date and place of issue — Петроградъ, 27 марта 1917 года — at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in black on white paper, the reverse is a densely typeset document carrying the full legal and financial terms of the 1917 Freedom Loan, issued by authority of the Provisional Government decree of 27 March 1917. The headings 1917 ЗАЕМЪ СВОБОДЫ 1917 appear at both the top and bottom in bold Cyrillic lettering, with the text body arranged in multiple justified paragraphs detailing interest rates, redemption conditions, and payment schedules. A final line notes the last coupon date as 16 марта 1922 года, with the signatures of the State Debt Redemption Commission and a bookkeeper at the foot. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Freedom Loan — Zaём Svobody — was launched in April 1917 by the Provisional Government as a desperate attempt to fund continued participation in World War I. The appeal to patriotism was deliberate: the word "freedom" referenced the February Revolution just weeks earlier, and the campaign was backed by public rallies, celebrity endorsements, and even Kerensky himself touring the front. It raised far less than projected.
These debenture bonds circulated as de facto currency when the banking system fractured. The Bolshevik government repudiated the entire loan after October 1917, rendering all outstanding bonds worthless — which is why high-denomination examples like this 5000-rouble piece survived in quantity; holders simply stopped redeeming them.