100 rubles — USSR (1947)

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Watermark

Bust of Lenin.

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Appearance

Grey color scheme. The obverse has a bust of Lenin and the USSR state emblem, an allegorical vignette with a hammer and sickle in the lower left corner, and the denomination in 16 languages of the union republics. The reverse shows a view of the Moscow Kremlin from the Moskva River: the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. The paper carries a watermark bust of Lenin. The note's own title reads "State Bank Note", although it was issued by the State Bank of the USSR. No signatures. 228 × 115 mm. There are four varieties — font I with four ways of writing the series letters; two specimens with a red "ОБРАЗЕЦ" overprint (one also perforated) are known as well.

The 1947 currency reform

The reform was carried out by a joint decree of the USSR Council of Ministers and the CPSU(b) Central Committee of 14 December 1947 (in force from 16 December): cash was exchanged for new money at 10 to 1, ending the wartime surplus of currency. Seven denominations were issued, from 1 to 100 rubles, all dated "1947". The denominations differ in color, size and watermark. The 1, 3 and 5 ruble notes are titled "State Treasury Notes" and the 10, 25, 50 and 100 ruble notes "State Bank Notes", but all were issued by the State Bank of the USSR. After 1956, when the Karelo-Finnish SSR ceased to be a union republic, the denomination text was printed in 15 languages instead of 16 -- hence two types of every denomination: "16 republics" (1947) and "15 republics" (from 1957 — the 1957 modification: the notes keep the original 1947 date). Within each type, collectors tell apart number fonts and series formats. Not every red "ОБРАЗЕЦ" (specimen) overprint on 15-republic notes marks a specimen: some of these notes carry a later cancellation applied for collectors after 1961. All notes were withdrawn by the 1961 reform (1 April 1961).