These are the only two notes I have from the Republic of Tatarstan, an autonomous region of Russia. Tatarstan is also sometimes known as Tataria. The two notes that I have posted here are the 5000 rubles or 50 shamil (1 shamil = 100 rubles). Both notes are dated 1996(nd), but I believe the one that is printed in blue is the first print and the one in green is the second. It would be fair to say that the second print would be issued in 1997 or 1998 etc. These two notes are the largest denominations issued since 1992 and also the last issued by Tatarstan. These notes were issued to assist low income earning people to upgrade their way of life, due to the economic and financial crises at that time.
Tatarstan only issued banknotes from 1992 to 1996. The reason they issued banknotes was due to hyperinflation and economic collapse following the disintegration of the Soviet Union empire. These notes were issued as a temporary measure and it ceased circulating when the Russian rubles regained its stability later. In this short period of time, Tatarstan has released 24 banknotes including various varieties, from 50 rubles to 5000 rubles. The designs of these notes are quite simple with some are just printed on one side.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union on 26.12.1991, Tatarstan did not formally declare independence from the Soviet Union, but instead signed a treaty with Russia in 1994 to remain part of the Russian Federation but with significant autonomy.
Not many people would know where Tatarstan is located in Russia. Tatarstan is situated on the western side of Russia. It is located in the Volga Federation District and has a population of just over 4.0+ million people. The capital of Tatarstan is Kazan and is situated about 850 km east of Moscow.
In 1992, Tatarstan began issuing its own currency for circulation. The two notes that I have posted here are the last banknotes issued, and also the largest denomination ever issued in Tatarstan.
There are two versions of this series and both designs are exactly the same but one is printed in blue and the other one in green. It is believed that the blue version of this note was the first issue, and then the green version note is a reprint.
Whilst I have mentioned that these two are banknotes, in reality, these are coupons or currency cheques, and that is why very few details are printed on them, such as they do not have the name of the issuing authority (central bank), denomination/value, legal tender text etc. However, the notes do have watermarks, and the only watermarks that I can see are 8 electrotype vertical lines spacing across the notes.
It was never my intention to get these two notes. I only bought them to fill up my gaps for missing banknotes from this region. I am still missing a few, especially for those countries that are no longer existing.
Five Thousand Rubles (Fifty Shamil) Blue First Print
Date - nd1996 First Print
Watermark - Eight vertical lines (electrotype) equally spaced across the note.
Size - 135.5mm x 64.5mm
Back - A woman from a national epic.
Five Thousand Rubles (Fifty Shamil) Green Second Print
Signature - n/a
Date - nd1996 Second Print
Watermark - Eight vertical lines (electrotype) equally spaced across the note.
Size - 136mm x 65mm
Back - A woman from a national epic.
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