The 1961 hundred-ruble note is the highest denomination of the series issued during the monetary reform: from 1 January 1961 old money was exchanged for new at a ratio of 10 to 1.

At upper left is Lenin’s profile in an oval frame, with the state emblem of the USSR above the centre. The reverse shows a tower of the Moscow Kremlin in the centre and the value below in the languages of the Soviet republics. Against the light, the blank field reveals a watermark of the same profile of Lenin.

Thirty years later this note fell victim to the Pavlov reform: Mikhail Gorbachev’s decree of 22 January 1991 withdrew the 100- and 50-ruble notes of the 1961 design, allowing just three days, 23 to 25 January, for the exchange.

The highest note of the 1961 series and one of the two withdrawn in the January 1991 exchange, it is a key piece in a collection of Soviet money. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

The VPcoins catalogue unites coins and banknotes from many countries and eras.