100 rubles — USSR (1961)
Pick# 236
Photo:
Numista
Non-commercial use only
Watermark
Right-facing profile of Lenin in a clear area at the upper right.
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Special facts
The 1961-series 100-ruble note is a State Bank note with an unusual history: over its first 28 years, from 1961 to 1989, only 34 series were printed — but in 1990 alone, 14 more were added, roughly 15 times the note's normal annual output. Economists point to this surge, printed with no matching increase in goods backing the currency, as a direct symptom of the Soviet monetary system's approaching collapse. The very last series, issued right before the January 1991 "Pavlov" reform, were withdrawn almost immediately during the currency exchange — which, contrary to what you would expect, makes them rarer today than many much older series. The rosette at the bottom left of the reverse ranges from light to dark green, and a yellow version exists too — a printing characteristic, not a result of storage; collectors are split on whether it counts as a genuine variety.
Watermark
Photo:
hareluca · Numista
Non-commercial use only
Lenin's profile in the light area at upper right.
Paper type
1961-series notes were printed on two types of paper. The first is matte, greyish-yellow, and is less common. The second is white, glossy on one side, and is far more common. Different denominations switched paper type at different issues. Telling them apart by eye is difficult — it's more reliable to compare several notes side by side.
Specifications
- Period
- 1961 Monetary Reform
- Currency
- 1 ruble = 100 kopecks
- Issue type
- Circulation
- Material
- Paper
- Size
- 140.0 × 70.0 mm
- Issuer
- Goznak
- Dominant color
- brown
- Watermark
- Yes
- Security thread
- No
- Demonetized
- Jan. 25, 1991
Variants
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Help estimate the varieties — use the “Estimate” button in a table row.
| Year | Series | Print run | Price | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | — | — | Estimate | Specimen. P# 236s | |
| 1961 | АА-АБ | — | Estimate | Earliest series range: yellow paper. Pick# 236.. P# 236 | |
| 1961 | АВ-ВЕ | — | Estimate | Main run: paper transitions from yellow to white partway through series АВ itself, white for the rest. Pick# 236.. P# 236 | |
| 1961 | ВЗ-ВИ | — | Estimate | 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.. P# 236 | |
| 1961 | ЯА | — | Estimate | Replacement series (only this one series, unlike the 25- and 50-ruble notes which have two); yellow paper. Pick# 236.. P# 236 |
Other items of the period
-
1 kopeck (1961–1991)
Y# 126
-
2 kopecks (1961–1991)
Y# 127
-
3 kopecks (1961–1991)
Y# 128
-
5 kopecks (1961–1991)
Y# 129
-
10 kopecks (1961–1991)
Y# 130
-
15 kopecks (1961–1991)
Y# 131
-
20 kopecks (1961–1991)
Y# 132
- 50 kopecks (1961) Y# 133a.1
-
50 kopecks (1964–1991)
Y# 133a.2
-
1 ruble (1961)
Pick# 222
- 1 ruble (1961) Y# 134a.1
-
1 ruble (1964–1991)
Y# 134a.2
-
3 rubles (1961)
Pick# 223
-
5 rubles (1961)
Pick# 224
-
10 rubles (1961)
Pick# 233
-
25 rubles (1961)
Pick# 234
-
50 rubles (1961)
Pick# 235
- 100 rubles (1961) Pick# 236
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