← USSR

Coins and banknotes of 1961 — USSR

Flag: Flag of the USSR (1923–1991) Coat of arms: Emblem of the USSR with fifteen ribbons (1956–1991) Anthem: State Anthem of the Soviet Union (1944–1977)

What happened in 1961

• From 1 January a monetary reform cut prices and money tenfold, while copper 1, 2 and 3 kopeck coins stayed in circulation at face value.
• On 12 April Yuri Gagarin made the first human flight into space.
• Stalin's body was removed from the Mausoleum.

Circulation coins 9

	1 kopeck — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 126 1961	+
	2 kopecks — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 127 1961	+
	3 kopecks — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 128 1961	+
	5 kopecks — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 129 1961	+
	10 kopecks — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 130 1961	+
	15 kopecks — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 131 1961	+
	20 kopecks — USSR (1961–1991) Y# 132 1961	+
	50 kopecks — USSR (1961) Y# 133a.1	+
	1 ruble — USSR (1961) Y# 134a.1	+

Circulation banknotes 7

	1 ruble — USSR (1961) Pick# 222 series АА-ЭЯ, Issue 1: font 1, grey paper, Intaglio/Orlov print, thorn Pick# 222. series Аа-Эя, Issue 2: font 1, grey paper, Intaglio/Orlov print, thorn Pick# 222. series ЯА‑ЯЯ, Яа‑Яя, яА‑яЯ, Replacement series (Я/я-prefix) for defective notes; existed for issues 1-3.1 only, discontinued from issue 4 onward. Pick# 222. series аА-эЯ, Issue 3: font 1, white paper, Intaglio/Orlov print, thorn on part of run Pick# 222. series бэ-эа, Issue 4: font 1, white paper, Intaglio/Orlov print, thorn on part of run Pick# 222. series АА-ЭЯ, Issue 5: font 2, white paper, Intaglio/Orlov print, thorn on part of run Pick# 222. series Аа-Си, Issue 6: font 2, white paper, print varies (Intaglio/Orlov, Intaglio/Offset, Offset), thorn on part of run, watermark varies (bottom-to-top, top-to-bottom) Pick# 222. series аА-кЯ, Issue 7: font 2, white paper, Offset print, no thorn, watermark varies (top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top) Pick# 222. Specimen, serial "AA 0000000"	+
	3 rubles — USSR (1961) Pick# 223 series АА-ЭЯ, Issue 1: font 1, grey paper. Pick# 223. series Аа-Эа, Issue 2: font 1, paper switches from grey to white partway through (exact point undocumented). Pick# 223. series аА-эЯ, Issue 3: font 1, white paper. Pick# 223. series аа-эя, Issue 4: font 1, white paper. Pick# 223. series АА-ЛВ, Issue 5: font 2 (first use), white paper. Pick# 223. series ЯА-Ял, Replacement series (Я/я-prefix) for defective notes; existed for issues 1-2 only, discontinued from issue 3 onward. Pick# 223. Specimen, serial "AA 0000000" (also perforated)	+
	5 rubles — USSR (1961) Pick# 224 series АА-ЭЯ, Issue 1: font 1, blue-tinted paper. Pick# 224. series Аа-Эа, Issue 2: font 1, white paper (first issue on white paper). Pick# 224. series аА-эЯ, Issue 3: font 1, white paper. Pick# 224. series аа-эя, Issue 4: font 1, white paper, print method varies (mostly Intaglio/Orlov, with an offset experiment on part of the run; distinguishable only by serial number, not by series). Pick# 224. series АА-МП, Issue 5: font 2 (first use), white paper, Intaglio/Orlov print. Pick# 224. series ЯА-ЯЯ, Replacement series (Я-prefix) for defective notes; existed for issue 1 only. Pick# 224. Specimen, serial "AA 0000000" (also perforated)	+
	10 rubles — USSR (1961) Pick# 233 series АА-ЭЯ, Issue 1: font 1, paper varies (yellow-tinted early in the issue, switching to white partway through), Intaglio/Orlov print. Pick# 233. series Аа-Эа, Issue 2: font 1, white paper, Intaglio/Orlov print (a handful of extremely rare offset-printed series exist, discovered 2025, not fully catalogued). Pick# 233. series аА-эЯ, Issue 3: font 1, white paper, print method varies within the series range (mix of Intaglio/Orlov and offset, no clean boundary); UV-fluorescent security stamp introduced. Pick# 233. series аа-ез, Issue 4: font 1, white paper, print method varies within the series range (mix of Intaglio/Orlov and offset); UV-fluorescent security stamp continues. Pick# 233. series ЯА-ЯЯ, Replacement series (Я-prefix) for defective notes; existed for issue 1 only. Pick# 233. Specimen, serial "AA 0000000" (also perforated)	+
	25 rubles — USSR (1961) Pick# 234 series АА-ЭЯ, Issue 1: font 1, paper varies (purple-tinted early, switching partway through), UV security stamp introduced partway through the issue (from series ЛЛ onward). Pick# 234. series Аа-См, Issue 2: font 1, white paper, UV security stamp color varies (light blue early, yellow-green later in the issue); a short series range (Лч-По) was never printed. Pick# 234. series ЯА, ЯВ, Replacement series (only these two exact series, not a full range) for defective notes; no UV stamp, purple-tinted paper. Pick# 234. Specimen, serial "AA 0000000" (also perforated, unnumbered)	+
	50 rubles — USSR (1961) Pick# 235 series АА-АЯ, Earliest series range: matte yellow paper. Pick# 235. series БА-ЗХ, Bulk of the print run: white paper. Pick# 235. series ЯА, ЯВ, Replacement series (only these two exact series, not a full range) for defective notes; yellow paper, same as the earliest main-run range. Pick# 235. Specimen, overprint (uniface pair)	+
	100 rubles — USSR (1961) Pick# 236 series АА-АБ, Earliest series range: yellow paper. Pick# 236. series АВ-ВЕ, Main run: paper transitions from yellow to white partway through series АВ itself, white for the rest. Pick# 236. series ВЗ-ВИ, Final series range, printed in 1990 alone during a surge in output — roughly 15x the normal annual rate — shortly before the January 1991 reform; rare today since most were withdrawn almost immediately. Pick# 236. series ЯА, Replacement series (only this one series, unlike the 25- and 50-ruble notes which have two); yellow paper. Pick# 236. Specimen	+