100 rubles — RSFSR (1919) — “Babylonian note”

Photo: Numista
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Watermark

The numeral "100" in horizontal or vertical rows.

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Issue history

The large settlement notes of the second 1919 series were nicknamed "Babylonian notes", and the hundred-ruble note is the lowest of them. The slogan "Workers of the world, unite" on the reverse is set in several languages, among them Arabic and Chinese — hence the comparison with the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel. The note is dated 1919 but reached circulation only in March 1920. The plan called for 200 blocks in each of three series; 121 blocks were actually printed, 121 million notes. A decree of 28 June 1922 stopped the issue; until 1 November 1922 the notes could be exchanged for 1922-series rubles at 10,000 to 1.

Series, cashiers and factories

The note carries two signatures: that of the People's Commissar of Finance N. Krestinsky (the same on all) and one of ten cashiers. The cashier is set by the last digit of the block number. The note was printed by three Goznak factories, and the series shows which one: the First Moscow factory printed series АА (blocks 001–048), Penza АБ (001–066) and Perm (the Urals) АЕ (001–007). Each block is 1,000,000 notes; varieties are distinguished by series and last block digit.

Sheets and specimens

The notes were printed in sheets of 6 (2 × 3). Specimens are perforated «ОБРАЗЕЦ», separately on the obverse and on the reverse.

Appearance

The reverse is printed in black, purple-brown and green on a brown background. The watermark is the numeral 100 repeated across the whole field: usually horizontal, but sometimes vertical — the direction depends on how the sheet was loaded, and it is one and the same print run.

Specifications

Period

Settlement notes

Currency

1 ruble = 100 kopecks

Issue type

Circulation

Material

Paper

Size

100.0 × 63.0 mm

Issuer

Goznak

Dominant color

green

Watermark

Yes

Demonetized

Nov. 1, 1922

Variants

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Help estimate the varieties — use the “Estimate” button in a table row.

People's Commissar of Finance of the RSFSR: Krestinskiy N.N.

Year	Series	Cashier	Signature	Print run	Price	Details
1919	—	—		—	Estimate	Specimen, perforated "ОБРАЗЕЦ"
1919	АА-xx0	Alekseyev A.M.		4M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx1	Osipov M.I.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx2	Titov D.M.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx3	Galtsov S.I.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx4	Starikov N.V.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx5	de-Millo H.L.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx6	Loshkin N.K.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx7	Zhikharev E.V.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx8	Geilman E.K.		5M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АА-xx9	Baryshev P.K.		4M	Estimate	Moscow
1919	АБ-xx0	Alekseyev A.M.		6M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx1	Osipov M.I.		7M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx2	Titov D.M.		7M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx3	Galtsov S.I.		7M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx4	Starikov N.V.		7M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx5	de-Millo H.L.		7M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx6	Loshkin N.K.		7M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx7	Zhikharev E.V.		6M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx8	Geilman E.K.		6M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АБ-xx9	Baryshev P.K.		6M	Estimate	Penza
1919	АЕ-xx1	Osipov M.I.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	АЕ-xx2	Titov D.M.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	АЕ-xx3	Galtsov S.I.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	АЕ-xx4	Starikov N.V.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	АЕ-xx5	de-Millo H.L.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	АЕ-xx6	Loshkin N.K.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	АЕ-xx7	Zhikharev E.V.		1M	Estimate	Perm
1919	—	—		—	Estimate	Full sheet of 6 (2 × 3)

Other items of the period

• 1 ruble (1919) Pick# 81
• 2 rubles (1919) Pick# 82
• 3 rubles (1919) Pick# 83
• 15 rubles (1919) Pick# 98
• 30 rubles (1919) Pick# 99
• 60 rubles (1919) Pick# 100
• 100 rubles (1919) — “Babylonian note” Pick# 101
• 250 rubles (1919) — “Babylonian note” Pick# 102
• 500 rubles (1919) — “Babylonian note” Pick# 103
• 1000 rubles (1919) — “Babylonian note” Pick# 104
• 5000 rubles (1919) — “Babylonian note” Pick# 105
• 10000 rubles (1919) — “Babylonian note” Pick# 106