Russia 5000 roubles , strange notes

Does anyone know a strory behind these notes? Nomination fixed to 50 000 roubles with a very high quality fixing. Numerals have cut from other notes and glued over these. This small text is added to side of the notes. I have half of dozen of those and those are very carefuly finished items. Anyone knows a strory, why those are made of??

Those are 5000 (five thousand) notes made to look like 50000 notes. Issued in 1993-94. Denomination is spelt 'five thousand' on every note. Design and colors are fairly similar between the 2 and the size is about the same. These notes were in circulation for a short time - there was a new series in 1995. I am actually quite surprised that someone tried this trick in 1994 or later (close-up on one note reads 'issue of the year 1994') when they were at least a year in circulation and people got used to the new money somewhat. So, I think, you got your hands on a counterfeit notes. Possibly given to foreign tourist by unscrupulous exchange office or, more likely, by a random person offering a better rate on the street, but that's only my guess.

Thanks. Those are most likely done to fool tourists, this "issue of the year 1994" text was odd. Thanks for theopnion.

Any time. That kind of small print is actually not that unusual on current Russian notes. They keep the original year from earliest design for the ease of printing, I suppose, and add a year of later issues in small print. I don't know exact reasons behind it, but the year of issue is part of an original banknote, unlike additional zeros there.

As said before, these notes has been tanoered with.

If you look and the written denomination it clearly reads Пять тысяч. Пять means Five, and тысяч means Thousand, hence Five thousand:


If it would be an actual 50,000 rubles note, it would say Пятьдесят тысяч. Десят means Ten, so Пятьдесят means Fifty, hence Fifty thousand. Here's an original 50,000 rubles note: