5 Rubles (front) / 10 Rubles (back) Soviet Ruble (SUR) #461

Front

Five Rubles note from the 1961 Soviet monetary reform series. The front features the denomination in large Cyrillic text ('ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕЙ') with multilingual denomination text in seven languages of the Soviet republics (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Uzbek, Kazakh, Georgian, and others), reflecting the USSR's multinational character. The 1961 reform redenominated the ruble at 10:1, with these notes designed to reflect Soviet ideological unity and economic modernization under Khrushchev.

Back

Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924), founder of the Soviet Union and leader of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Lenin's portrait appears on the back of this 10 Rubles note, printed in brown-red tones. He served as head of the Soviet government from 1917 until his death in 1924, and his image became the standard motif on Soviet currency throughout the USSR's existence. The State Emblem of the USSR appears at upper left.

History

This appears to be a mismatched pair: the front is from a 5 Rubles note while the back is from a 10 Rubles note, both from the 1961 Soviet Reform Series. The 1961 monetary reform was implemented on January 1, 1961, exchanging old rubles for new ones at a rate of 10:1. This series remained in circulation until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The multilingual denomination text on the front reflects the Soviet policy of recognizing the languages of the constituent republics. The serial number visible on the front (ыП 4792463) uses Cyrillic prefix letters, a standard feature of Soviet banknotes. Both notes were printed by Goznak, the Soviet state printing works. These notes became demonetized following the collapse of the USSR and the introduction of Russian Federation currency. The 1961 series is common and widely collected as representative examples of late Soviet-era currency design.