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Шаги – Паперові Розмінні Монети Доби Української Революції 1917–1921 Років

Translated title Shahs – Paper Fractional Currency of the Ukrainian Revolution Era, 1917–1921
Autor Larysa Levchenko
Published in Український нумізматичний щорічник, Volume 8 (2024)
The Ukrainian Numismatic Annual
Pages 220-257 (38 pages)
Download https://doi.org/10.31470/2616-6275-2024-8-220-257
Number
N#
L143167
 
shah, shah-stamps, the monetary system of Ukraine, paper exchangeable coin, Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, UNR Directory, Ukrainian Revolution 1917–1921.

Abstract

Abstract . In 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine, pursuing decommunization and restoration of historical justice, initiated the replacement of the “kopiyka” coin with the “shah”. In this context, it is relevant to discuss the relevance of “shahs” to the traditional Ukrainian monetary system. The purpose of this publication is to study the history of the “shah” coin during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917 – 1921 based on archival records found in the Central State Archive of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine (TsDAVO of Ukraine). Most of these documents are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time and are included in the appendix. The research methodology consists of both general scientific and special methods. An analysis of existing literature showed that “shah” coins were in circulation in Ukrainian territories from 1528 to 1725 and were abolished during the monetary reforms of Peter I. "Shahs" were reintroduced in the Ukrainian National Republic as part of the hryvnia monetary system: one hryvnia was divided into one hundred shahs. The uniqueness of this coin was its issue not from metal but from paper in the form of stamps. The introduction of "shah-stamps" into circulation began during the Ukrainian State of Pavlo Skoropadskyi and continued during the Directory of the Ukrainian National Republic. As evidenced by archival documents, from 1917 to February 1922, various mints in Kyiv, Odesa, Kamianets-Podilskyi, and Stanislaviv printed "shah-stamps" equaling 46,306,555 hryvnias in value; 46,165,973 of these were issued to the populace. Shahs were in circulation both on the territory of the Ukrainian National Republic and, to a somewhat lesser extent, on the territory of the Western Ukrainian National Republic. After the occupation of Kyiv, in March 1919, the Bolsheviks withdrew shah-stamps from circulation from all banks, institutions, enterprises, and organizations. The cancellation of Ukrainian shah-stamps hit the poorest sections of the population the hardest; their salaries continued to be paid in shahs well into the Soviet occupation. In the Ukrainian National Republic and the Ukrainian State, shah-stamps also played a significant role in setting interest and exchange rates, paying for postal services, and other financial operations. Thus, “shahs” during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917 – 1921 were indeed an essential component of currency circulation and the Ukrainian monetary system, so their revival is entirely consistent and historically fair.

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