bonumic

5 rubles — USSR (1961)

Pick# 224

Obverse
Obverse
Reverse
Reverse

Photo: ngdawa (CC BY-NC-SA); Daniel LeBowsky (CC BY-NC-SA) · Numista
Non-commercial use only

Watermark

Stars over the whole field.

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Special facts

The 5-ruble note of the 1961 series is the only denomination in the lineup with a printing-method experiment inside a single series range: partway through issue 4, part of the run was switched to offset printing instead of the usual Orlov method, in an attempt to cut costs. The experiment didn't stick, and Goznak reverted to Orlov printing from the very next issue. There is no way to tell such a note apart by the series letters alone — only by the serial number.

Watermark

Watermark

Photo: Daniel LeBowsky (CC BY-NC-SA) · Numista
Non-commercial use only

Stars across the note.

Printing defects

Interesting production defects also turn up on 1961-series 5-ruble notes. One of the most distinctive is the "butterfly": a folded corner of the printing sheet causes the trimmed note to come out with an irregular, skewed shape. There are also notes with a crumpled serial number, producing an uneven, "dancing" digit style, and notes where a severely misaligned sheet picked up two separate serial numbers with different series on the same side.

Font

Font

Font 1 on top, font 2 below.

Print type

Print type

Orlov printing on the left, offset printing on the 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

Currency
1 ruble = 100 kopecks
Issue type
Circulation
Material
Paper
Size
114.0 × 57.0 mm
Issuer
Goznak
Dominant color
blue
Watermark
Yes
Security thread
No
Demonetized
Dec. 31, 1993

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, serial "AA 0000000" (also perforated). P# 224s
1961 АА-ЭЯ — Estimate Issue 1: font 1, blue-tinted paper. Pick# 224.. P# 224
1961 Аа-Эа — Estimate Issue 2: font 1, white paper (first issue on white paper). Pick# 224.. P# 224
1961 аА-эЯ — Estimate Issue 3: font 1, white paper. Pick# 224.. P# 224
1961 аа-эя — Estimate 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.. P# 224
1961 АА-МП — Estimate Issue 5: font 2 (first use), white paper, Intaglio/Orlov print. Pick# 224.. P# 224
1961 ЯА-ЯЯ — Estimate Replacement series (Я-prefix) for defective notes; existed for issue 1 only. Pick# 224.. P# 224
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