It always gives me enormous satisfaction when I manage to get a full set of banknotes even though they are not that expensive, and especially these were issued more than 30+ years ago.
Below is a full set of four notes issued by the National Bank of Moldova. These Cupon notes were released in stages and are dated 1992 (50 and 200 cupon) and 1993 (1000 and 5000 cupon). I understand that these are the first series of notes issued by the central bank since the bank was established in 1991, following the breaking up of the Soviet Union empire. Moldova achieved independence from the Soviet Union on 27.08.1991.
In general, these notes are printed with minimum security features. Apart from the watermarks on the notes, these notes are not printed with any security threads, or any other common security features that would have been available in the early 90s. Even the text anti counterfeiting message is a bit confusing as the two letters 'i' and 'l' look alike. I suppose these notes were done as a temporary measure and also in a hurry to meet the demand following the breakup of the Soviet Union and Moldova becoming an independent nation in 1991. As these were issued as a temporary currency, it would be fair to say that the government did not spend extra on the manufacturing of these notes. These Cupon notes were issued to replace the Soviet ruble at par. In 1992 regular Leu series (first released 20.09.1993) were introduced at a rate of 1 leu = 1,000 cupon, thus replacing these four copon notes.
I personally find the denominations printed is a bit strange as it included the value of 50 and 200 but not the 100 or 500 cupon. Perhaps this may have something to do with the country's high inflation back then when the country experienced a price rise from 20% to 60% due to it's market economy policy introduced in 1992. You must be wondering why I bother to buy these four notes, given the none attractiveness or dule designs. My reason is simple. This is history and having this full set is like having a piece of history of Moldova. It may not be worth a lot now or even in the future, but it is good to know a bit of the history (currency wise) of this country following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. I believe I may have paid a bit too much for this set.
These Cupon currencies were withdrawn from circulation on 29.11.1993. I am not sure if they are still redeemable from the central bank but if you have them in uncirculated condition, then it is worth more than the redeemable value.
The designs for all four notes are the same, except for the face values, colours and sizes.
On the from, the notes are all printed with:
On the back, they are all printed with the image of Soroca castle (fort). The castle was first built in 1499 by Stephen the Great. As it is called, this castle is located in the town of Soroca in the north-east of the country, not far from the Ukraine border. The castle was originally constructed in timber and between 1543 to 1546, it was then rebuilt with stones. The castle was originally used for military purposes and today it is a main tourist attraction in the town.
On the back of the notes there are no texts or alphabets printed, except for the numeral denomination values.
Two Hundred Cupon
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| Dated 1992 |
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| Soroca castle |
One Thousand Cupon
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| Dated 1993 |
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| Soroca castle |
Five Thousand Cupon
 |
| Dated 1993 |
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| Soroca castle |
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