#506 Soviet Union 5

Identity

Where & when

Country Soviet Union

Currency Soviet Ruble

Denomination 5

Series name Issue of 1961

Series year 1961

Issue year 1961

Era 1946_1989

Legal status demonetized

Predecessor currency Soviet Ruble (reform of 1947)

Successor currency Russian Ruble

Subjects & design

What's on the note

Front portrait —

Reverse subject Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin

Watermark Star pattern in clear field

Color palette #d4c5a0,#8b9ba8,#c19a6b

Themes architecture,statesman,political

Language / script Cyrillic with multilingual inscriptions

Front: The front of this State Treasury note bears the denomination '5 РУБЛЕЙ' (5 Rubles) in the center with multilingual text stating 'FIVE RUBLES' in the languages of the Soviet republics (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Uzbek, Kazakh, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Lithuanian, Moldavian, Latvian, Kirghiz, Tajik, Armenian, Turkmen, Estonian). The text at bottom reads 'Forgery of State Treasury notes is punishable by law.' This denomination was part of the 1961 currency reform that revalued the Soviet ruble at 10:1, introducing a new series designed to project stability and Soviet unity.

Back: The Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, the most iconic tower of the Kremlin complex. Built in 1491 by Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari, it features the famous chiming clock and serves as the main ceremonial entrance to the Kremlin. The tower was topped with the Soviet star in 1937. The State Emblem of the USSR (hammer and sickle surrounded by wheat sheaves) appears at upper left. The date '1961' appears prominently, marking the year of the monetary reform.

Production

How it was made

Issuer State Bank of the USSR

Issuer (native) Государственный Казначейский Билет СССР

Printer Goznak

Engraver —

Material paper

Dimensions (mm) 111x57

Security features: microprint,intaglio,watermark

Geography

Where in the world

Geography unknown for Soviet Union.

The story

Background & history

This note belongs to the 1961 currency reform series issued by the State Bank of the USSR. The reform, announced on January 1, 1961, exchanged old rubles for new at a 10:1 ratio and was designed to combat inflation and simplify calculations. The series featured multilingual inscriptions reflecting all 15 Soviet republics, emphasizing Soviet unity. These notes remained legal tender throughout the Soviet period until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, when they were gradually replaced by Russian Federation currency. The series was printed by Goznak (the Soviet state security printer). This specific design with the Kremlin tower became one of the most recognizable Soviet banknotes. The note shows serial number aa 8234361 with lowercase Cyrillic prefix.

Catalogue

Collector references

Pick # P-224

Krause ID —

Rarity tier common

Series range 1961–1991

Provenance

How it came to me

Acquired date —

Acquired from —

Acquired price —

Currency —

Condition

Grade VF

Serial number aa 8234361

Serial prefix aa

Note shows circulation wear with visible creases and some discoloration but retains reasonable detail

Valuation

What it's worth now

$1–$5

Type default range $1–$5

Valuation history (1)

date	low	high	currency	source	note
2026-05-10 07:11:17	1.0	5.0	USD	ai	from claude-sonnet-4-5

Technical

History & extractions

AI extractions (1)

anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-10 07:11:17

status: ok · step 1 · $0.0418 · 7369↓ + 1312↑ tokens

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