Surely every reader at home will have banknotes or coins of Soviet or even tsarist times. Want to know how much old money is today? In this article we will talk in detail about the modern value of those banknotes that were in use in pre-revolutionary and Soviet Russia. In addition, you will find out where and how to sell these banknotes profitably.
A bit about bonistics ...
Bonistics is the process of studying and collecting paper currency (various countries and historical eras). By the way, bills among collectors are often called "bonuses." It is interesting that bonistics began to develop actively in the USSR, and even in the pre-war years. A special surge of interest in this type of collecting was observed in the 80s of the last century.
It is important to note that they collect not only real, but also fake (“fake”) banknotes. So, for example, ritual and humorous paper money are quite popular. Obviously, paper is a rather fragile and short-lived material. That is why centennial banknotes can cost ten times more expensive than coins of the same age.
How much is old money? The actual price will depend on a number of factors. It:
- The degree of preservation.
- The presence or absence of marriage.
- Year of issue and historical value of the banknote.
- The presence of overprints and specific watermarks.
- Signatures of specific officials.
- Certain series.
To date, the oldest and one of the most expensive in the world is a Chinese bill, issued in 1380.
A brief history of Russian banknotes
The first paper money in Tsarist Russia was printed back in 1769, during the reign of Empress Catherine II. These were plain-looking banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 rubles. They were provided with an appropriate amount of copper coins that were stored in the royal treasury. In the calculations, one paper ruble at that time corresponded to one kilogram of “copper coins”. He was later tied to a more stable metal - silver.
In the middle of the 19th century, bank notes were replaced by credit tickets. And ordinary citizens of the Russian Empire had much more trust in them. In 1866, portraits of prominent personalities of the country began to be printed on tsarist money for the first time. So, on the “weaving” appeared the face of Catherine the Second. And soon all the merchants affectionately nicknamed the hundred-ruble bill "Katenka".
At the end of the 19th century, money was printed in the Russian Empire in the so-called Oryol way. He allowed to obtain images consisting of several colors at once. By the way, the royal banknotes of the late XIX - early XX centuries are the most beautiful and highly artistic. How much is the old money of this period? Read more about this.
How much are the old paper money of the pre-revolutionary period?
Tsarist banknotes of the late XIX - early XX centuries, despite their beauty and elegance, are relatively inexpensive. On average, the price of this money ranges from 250 to 3500 rubles. An important role here is played by the degree of preservation of a particular bill, as well as the presence of the signature of a manager.
Paper notes of the second half of the XVIII - beginning of the XIX century are much more expensive. And this is not surprising, because there are very few of them preserved (250 years for paper is more than a solid age). Today, the cost of royal bills is from 3 to 20 thousand dollars and above. It all depends on the year of issue and the face value of the bon. It is worth noting that notes in denominations of 75 rubles, obviously, have not been preserved at all. One hundred rubles bank notes are extremely rare.
How much are old paper money of the USSR?
Banknotes of the Soviet period (1921-1991) came to our days much more than tsarist money. Conditionally old money of 1961 is especially often found. How much are these bills? With rare exceptions, their current value does not exceed 500 rubles. Banknotes of earlier years are more valuable. Next, we will describe in more detail how much the old money of the USSR costs .
Banknotes until 1938
The very first Soviet banknotes date back to 1924. These are denominations in denominations of one, three and five rubles. The decoration of these banknotes is interesting (see photo below). So, on the "three rubles" the peasants in the field are depicted, on the five rubles - a tractor leaving the horizon. In the 20-30s, paper pennies also went to the USSR - the so-called “denzics” (from 1 to 5). They differed in simple design and looked like stamps.
How much is the old money of the early Soviet period? Ruble banknotes today can be bought at a price of 5 to 25 thousand rubles, but "denziki" are cheaper (from 100 to 3000 rubles).
Banknotes of 1947
In 1947, as a result of monetary reform, new banknotes appeared in the USSR. Banknotes of low denomination (1-5 rubles) were oriented vertically, and larger ones (10-100 rubles) were oriented horizontally. The latter were also decorated with a portrait of V.I. Lenin.
These days, the cost of this money is relatively small. It varies from 150 rubles for small bills to 1,500-2,000 rubles for banknotes of one hundred Soviet rubles.
Banknotes after 1961
The next monetary reform occurred in the Soviet Union in the early 60s. The so-called bank tickets of the 1961 sample had a face value of 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 rubles. Each of the banknotes had its own color:
- Lemon (1 ruble).
- Green (3 and 50 rubles).
- Blue (5 rubles).
- Red (10 rubles).
- Violet (25 rubles).
- Beige (100 rubles).
Banknotes of major dignity bore the image of the Leader of the world proletariat.
How much are old paper money issued in 1961? Since these bills are still quite common among the population, their real value is extremely low. On average, from 50 to 600 rubles, depending on the condition of a particular boom.
An important point: those banknotes whose series begins with the letter "I" are much more valuable.
Briefly about Soviet coins ...
Do not forget about the coins of the Soviet period, revising the saved "treasures" of their grandparents. After all, some of them can cost a lot of money!
If we talk about ruble coins, then the following copies are considered the most expensive (the approximate price of each coin is indicated in brackets):
- 1 ruble of 1969 (1600-1800 rubles).
- 1 ruble of 1966 (2,000 rubles).
- 1 ruble of 1924 (about 2500 rubles)
- 1 ruble of 1921 (about 5,000 rubles).
However, the most valuable in this category is the ruble coin of 1922, made of silver of the 900th test (see photo below). Numismatists estimate it today at about 20 thousand rubles. Of course, the real value of the Soviet coin is affected by its condition. The less microdamages on it, the more profitable it can be sold.
If we talk about Soviet coins in general, the most rare and expensive instance are trial 50 kopecks of 1929 coinage. On its obverse is a plant, and on the back there is a tractor and the famous slogan “Workers of all countries unite!”. This coin is known only in a single copy and was sold at the Znak auction for ten million rubles!
More information about the most expensive coins of the Soviet period is presented in the following video:
How to sell old money?
So, we have already figured out how much the old money of Soviet and tsarist times costs. But you are probably interested in the question of how and where they can be sold profitably. There are several possible options:
- You can go to the nearest "flea market". There you will surely find a reseller who will happily buy your bonds from you (if they are of any value). Of course, he will not tell you the real value of the bill, but you will definitely get 40-50% of this amount. This method is suitable for those who want to sell their "treasures" as quickly as possible.
- If you want to know the real value of your copy, go to a meeting of collectors. Such "gatherings" are usually held regularly in all major cities. There you can sell your banknotes more profitably, or exchange them for others.
- The third option is all kinds of online auctions and collector forums on the net. And this is the most popular, simple and profitable way to sell your rarities.
Here is a list of the most popular auctions on the Internet that contain relevant and active sections of bonistics: ebay.com, newauction.ru (Russia), meshok.net (Russia), ay.by (Belarus), auction.violity.com (Ukraine) , crafta.ua (Ukraine), allegro.pl (Poland).