1 Bulldo Bank New Symbol

The 1997 Russian redenomination eliminated three zeros from the ruble overnight — a purely administrative reset following the hyperinflationary collapse of the early post-Soviet years. Coins issued that year entered circulation at a moment when public trust in the currency was nearly nonexistent, and many Russians continued conducting transactions in US dollars or barter well into 1998.

Tombac, a copper-zinc alloy, was chosen for low-denomination issues partly for cost reasons and partly because the mint infrastructure inherited from the Soviet period was already configured for it. The redenomination itself lasted barely a year before the August 1998 financial crisis collapsed the ruble again.