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5 Kopecks Latvia, Libava, Libau
| Issuer | Libau (Liepāja) City Council |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Ruble (1704-1917) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ЛИБАВСКОЕ ГОРОДСКОЕ САМОУПРАВЛЕНІЕ РАЗМЕНЫЙ ЗНАКЪ. 5 Коп. 5 Сор. ПОДДЕЛКА КАРАЕТСЯ ПО УГОЛОВНЫМЪ ЗАКОНАМЪ. |
| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the same typographic and vignette layout as the obverse, printed in a darker black ink without the tan background tint, giving a higher-contrast appearance. The issuer name in calligraphic Cyrillic script arches across the top, and the central heraldic lion vignette within its circular border occupies the centre field. Denomination cartouches at lower left and right again read 5 Коп. and 5 Сор., with the anti-forgery warning centred below the vignette. |
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| Comments |
Libau — the heavily Germanized port city on the Baltic coast — was occupied by German forces in May 1915, but this note predates that occupation. The Libau City Council issued these small-denomination emergency pieces in the early months of the war as metal coinage vanished from circulation almost immediately after mobilization began. Municipal authorities across the Russian Empire scrambled to fill the vacuum with locally printed scrip, and Libau was among the first Latvian cities to do so.
The unlisted Pick status reflects how poorly documented these hyperlocal wartime issues remain. Many were printed in tiny runs, circulated within a single town, and survived in negligible quantities.