Berkutchi Test Note

Kazakhstan's Banknote Factory in Almaty — opened in 1997, one of the few central-bank-owned intaglio printing facilities in the post-Soviet space — periodically issues test notes to validate new substrate batches, security feature integration, and press calibration. The "Berkutchi" designation references the Kazakh tradition of eagle hunting, a culturally specific choice that distinguishes these internal test pieces from the generic geometric patterns most other facilities use for the same purpose.

Not released into circulation. Collected primarily through the trade rather than official channels.