2020-11-11
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'Vavilona' Krestinsky: the biggest and the most beautiful
and with varieties of the coat of arms of the R. S. F. S. R.
In 1919, the Bolsheviks issued their first original banknotes, which they called 'settlement signs'. Issued banknotes had an unsightly design and also quickly devalued in the market, which did not upset the Bolsheviks much – they believed that money would soon die out as a concept along with the market and the bourgeoisie.
The chief Bolshevik banker, Georgy Leonidovich Pyatakov, did not devote much of his working time to issues of monetary circulation.
Having personally led the takeover of the state Bank on October 25, 1917 and succeeded in getting the Manager I. p. Shipov fired, Pyatakov signed his autographs on credit cards with a face value from 1 ruble to 10,000 rubles, popularly called 'pyatakovki', and on payment signs of R. S. F. S. R. with unusual denominations of 15 rubles, 30 rubles and 60 rubles.
For the rest, Pyatakov relied on the promptness of his deputies with a predictable result: the monetary circulation of the state was falling apart into zones of circulation of local monetary surrogates.
The usefulness of the banker Pyatakov was evaluated accordingly – the main Bank of the country (already without Pyatakov) was in 1919 with all its branches reassigned to the people's Commissariat of Finance with N. N. Krestinsky at the head.
The name and signature of Nikolai Nikolaevich Krestinsky is associated with the appearance of new money in the R. S. F. S. R., popularly called 'Babylons'. The first bills signed by the people's Commissariat of Finance in denominations of 100 rubles, 250 rubles, 500 rubles and 1,000 rubles were graphically designed in the same nondescript style with dull colors, but then, on March 4, 1920, signed by Krestinsky, something completely different from the former Soviet Department banknotes was born.
The bills turned out to be propaganda posters – bright and large, 3 times larger than the previous ones: 5,000 rubles in blue, 163 mm x 120 mm in size, and 10,000 rubles in red, 175 mm x 125 mm in size.
It is possible that the new design of their bills the Bolsheviks responded to the issue of Hetman Skoropadsky in Ukraine 'signs derzhavno skarbnitsy' and the release of General Denikin Treasury notes of the Main command of the Armed forces of the South of Russia: those after all turned out to be a sight to behold, and is Soviet money worse than 'Hetman' and 'bells'?
Propaganda point in the design of the listed bills were decisive: if the 'signs derzhavno skarbnitsi' stressed 'independent' Ukrainian state, and Treasury notes of the high command of the armed forces of South Russia proclaimed the idea of fighting 'for the 'United and indivisible Russia', for the R. S. F. S. R. in 1919, the main obsession was the slogan of the world revolution, which had to carry to the masses.
The idea was carried to the masses very widely: on the new enlarged bills in large font was printed 7 times-in the center, top, bottom, right, and left-in 7 world languages, including Chinese and Arabic: 'Proletarians of all countries, unite!'
The proletarians were called to unite not to participate in the Olympic games, but to fight, and not the Greco-Roman struggle, but the armed class struggle against the world bourgeoisie – that is why they wrote the call in the languages of the nationalities whose representatives lived compactly outside the borders of the Russian Federation
It is worth noting that the denomination and name of the monetary unit were not considered necessary to translate into foreign languages: it was important to convey to the Chinese and Arabs the main idea of the Issuer, and how much this piece of paper costs foreign proletarians will somehow figure it out.
It is interesting that the coat of arms of the country is depicted on 2 denominations in different versions: if on a bill of 5000 rubles, wheat ears resemble unripe pine cones, then on a bill of 10,000 rubles they are already full-fledged ears with awns.
It should be recognized that the new Soviet banknotes for the first time received not only a series of issues, but also separate numbers for each bill: presumably, the Bolsheviks realized that the circulation of settlement signs should be controlled better.
A bright and beautiful agitka is better than a dim and nondescript agitka: babylonki GG 747431 and GCH 622742 clearly adorn my collection of sovznakov.
«Вавилонки» Крестинского: самые большие и самые красивые
10000 руб. 1919 г.
Country
:
Р.С.Ф.С.Р.
Denomination
:
10000 рубль
Year
:
1919
Quantity
:
Issuer
:
Series
:
Valid from
:
Valid till
:
Cancelled
:
5000 руб. 1919 г.
Country
:
Р.С.Ф.С.Р.
Denomination
:
5000 рубль
Year
:
1919
Quantity
:
Issuer
:
Series
:
Valid from
:
Valid till
:
Cancelled
:
Alexander R.
