25 Ruble #442

Front

Alexander III (1845–1894), Emperor of Russia from 1881 to 1894, known for his reactionary domestic policies and efforts to maintain autocratic rule. The portrait appears in an ornate baroque frame surmounted by the Imperial Russian crown and the double-headed eagle coat of arms. The Cyrillic text 'АЛЕКСАНДР III' appears beneath the portrait. This is highly unusual as Soviet-era currency typically did not feature Tsarist imagery; this appears to be a mismatched pair of images where the front is from an Imperial Russian state credit note.

Back

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870–1924), founder of the Soviet state and leader of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. His profile portrait appears at left on this 25-ruble note from 1961, part of the Soviet currency reform that redenominated the ruble at 10:1. The State Emblem of the USSR with hammer and sickle is displayed prominently at center top, with the text 'Билет Государственного Банка СССР' (State Bank of the USSR Note) and 'Двадцать пять рублей' (Twenty-five rubles).

History

CRITICAL FLAG: These images do NOT match — they appear to be front and back of two entirely different banknotes from different eras and issuers. The FRONT shows an Imperial Russian state credit note (Государственный кредитный билет) from the late 19th/early 20th century featuring Tsar Alexander III with Imperial regalia. The BACK shows a 1961 Soviet 25-ruble note featuring Lenin, issued during the Khrushchev-era currency reform of January 1, 1961, which redenominated at 10 old rubles = 1 new ruble. The 1961 series remained in circulation until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The denomination on the front appears to read '25 РУБЛЕЙ' but the design is entirely inconsistent with Soviet currency iconography. Without seeing the actual reverse of the Imperial note or the actual obverse of the 1961 Soviet note, confident cataloguing is impossible.