5 RUB #468

Front

Catherine II of Russia (Catherine the Great, 1729–1796), Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She presided over the Russian Enlightenment, expanded the empire's borders through military victories and diplomatic skill, and is considered one of Russia's greatest rulers. The ornate design includes allegorical figures representing abundance and prosperity, reflecting the elaborate Imperial Russian aesthetic with baroque ornamentation, scrollwork, and the denomination '100 РУБЛЕЙ' (100 Rubles) in pre-revolutionary styling. This front design reproduces the Imperial 100-ruble note issued under Catherine II's reign.

Back

The Monument to the Millennium of Russia (Тысячелетие России) in Veliky Novgorod, unveiled in 1862 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Rurik's arrival in 862 CE, traditionally marking the founding of the Russian state. The monument, designed by Mikhail Mikeshin, stands in the Novgorod Kremlin and depicts key figures from Russian history. Behind it is Saint Sophia Cathedral with its distinctive green and silver onion domes, one of Russia's oldest stone structures, built in 1045–1050. The text reads 'БИЛЕТ БАНКА РОССИИ' (Bank of Russia Note) and 'ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕЙ' (Five Rubles).

History

This note represents a hybrid design combining historical Imperial Russian imagery with modern Russian Federation currency. The front reproduces the elaborate Catherine II-era 100 ruble note design from the late 18th century, while the back features the modern 5 ruble denomination with 20th-century imagery. The 1997 Russian ruble reform (denomination 1000:1) introduced the current ruble series; 5-ruble notes from this series have been issued in multiple modifications (1997, 2001, 2010 onwards) with various security feature upgrades. The serial number prefix 'ЬЯ' (bYA) is a standard Bank of Russia series identifier. The juxtaposition of Imperial Catherine II imagery with Soviet/post-Soviet Novgorod monuments creates an unusual numismatic artifact bridging multiple eras of Russian history.