question: How Worthless Was Soviet Union's Ruble?
comment: The problem was that there were no trade between the US and USSR. So in the USSR the Ruble were worth a lot as you could use it on any corner store. However if you had any Ruble in the US they were almost worthless as anyone would accept it as payment and buying things in the USSR and importing them were almost impossible. So for PepsiCo which is a US company with western owners the Ruble were not worth the ink it was printed with as they could not use it to pay their suppliers or owners. So when they set out to export syrup to the USSR they also had to set up an import route in order to gain anything from the deal. It did not really matter what it was but they ended up with vodka. This was an acceptable deal to the governments of both US and USSR so they were allowed to continue with the deal. If they had accepted the Ruble then someone in the US would have to set up a separate trade deal importing something from the USSR in order to get the value from their Ruble and this would be a difficult political struggle. By settling on importing vodka in the same trade deal as they exported syrup PepsiCo were able to handle the issue once.
passages: Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Sixth Soviet ruble, 1961–91, the one whose ISO code is SUR.:Coins.
   Section::::Historical official exchange rates.
  
  Official exchange rates Soviet ruble of the time per United States dollar: 
  
  Section::::Replacement currencies in the former Soviet republics.
   Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Seventh Soviet ruble, 1991 – 1992.:Coins.
   Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Fifth Soviet ruble, 1947–1961.:Banknotes.
  
  In 1947, State Treasury notes were introduced for denominations of 1-, 3- and 5 rubles, along with State Bank notes for denominations of 10-, 25-, 50 and 100 rubles. The State Bank notes depicted Lenin while the Treasury notes depicted floral artistic designs. All denominations were colored and patterned in a similar fashion to late Czarist notes.
  
  Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Sixth Soviet ruble, 1961–91, the one whose ISO code is SUR.
   The gold ten was estimated at the market of 12,500 rubles. Soviet signs of 1922, the State Bank who was guided by the conjuncture, estimated one chervonetz at 11,400 rubles with Sovznak, which is somewhat lower than the price of a gold ten-ruble.
   Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Fourth (gold) Soviet ruble, March 7, 1924 – 1947.:Coins.
   Section::::History.:Imperial ruble (14th century – 1917).:Banknotes.:Provisional Government issues.
  
  In 1917, the Provisional Government issued treasury notes for 20 and 40 rubles. These notes are known as "Kerenski" or "Kerensky rubles". The provisional government also had 25 and 1,000 rubles state credit notes printed in the United States but most were not issued.
  
  Section::::History.:Soviet ruble (1917–1992).
   Denominations were as follows: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 60, 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000. Short term treasury certificate were also issued to supplement banknote issue in 1 million, 5 million and 10 million rubles. These issue was printed in various fashions, as inflation crept up the security features were few and some were printed on one side, as was the case for the German inflationary notes.
  
  Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:First Soviet ruble.:Banknotes.
   The 1961 redenomination introduced 1 new ruble equal to 10 old rubles and restated all wages, prices and financial records into new rubles. It differed from the confiscatory nature of the 1947 reform when banknotes were reduced to 1/10th of its value but wages & prices remained the same. Its parity to the US dollar underwent a devaluation, however, from $1 = 4 old rubles (0.4 new ruble) to $1 = 0.9 new ruble (or 90 kopeks). It implies a gold parity of 31.5 SUR per troy ounce or 1 SUR = 0.987412 gram of gold, but this exchange for gold was never available to the general public.
   Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Seventh Soviet ruble, 1991 – 1992.:Banknotes.
  
  Banknotes for this ruble were nearly identical in background color and size for all denominations compared to the 1961 series, but included more color and heightened security features. This time, however, new 200-, 500-, and 1,000-ruble notes were introduced along with 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-, 50-, and 100-ruble notes.
  
  After the breakup of the Soviet Union, many newly independent republics chose to continue circulating Soviet rubles until the introduction of the new Russian ruble in 1992.
  
  Section::::Economic role.
   Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Third Soviet ruble, January 1, 1923 – March 6, 1924.:Banknotes.
   Most of the territory of the USSR was occupied by the Germans during the war. The legal chervonets remained at the rate of 10 rubles = 1 Reichsmark. The paradox - the wages of collaborators: policemen, burgomasters, etc., all who collaborated with the German occupation authorities. In 1941-1943 they were most often paid with Soviet "Stalin" rubles from the 1937 model with portraits of Lenin (chervontsi), depicting the Red Army soldiers and Soviet military pilots who fought against them (treasury tickets ).
   Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Fourth (gold) Soviet ruble, March 7, 1924 – 1947.:Banknotes.
  
  In 1924, state currency notes were introduced for 1, 3 and 5 gold rubles (рубль золотом). These circulated alongside the chervonets notes introduced in 1922 by the State Bank in denominations of 1, 3, 5 10 and 25 chervonets. State Treasury notes replaced the state currency notes after 1928. In 1938, new notes were issued for 1, 3 and 5 rubles, dropping the word "gold".
  
  Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Fifth Soviet ruble, 1947–1961.
   Others say the ruble was never part of a grivna but a synonym for it. This is attested in a 13th century Novgorod birch bark manuscript, where both ruble and grivna referred to 204 gramms (6.6 troy ounces) of silver. The casting of these pieces included some sort of cutting (the exact technology is unknown), hence the name from рубить ("rubit"). 
   Starting in 1991 with the final year of the 1961 coin series, both kopeck and ruble coins began depicting the mint marks (М) for Moscow, and (Л) for Leningrad.
  
  Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Sixth Soviet ruble, 1961–91, the one whose ISO code is SUR.:Banknotes.
  
  Banknotes were issued in denominations of 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 rubles, with similar colors to the previous series, but this time much smaller in size. The notes again depicted Lenin on the higher denominations and various buildings in Moscow.
  
  Section::::Historical Soviet rubles.:Seventh Soviet ruble, 1991 – 1992.
   Section::::History.:Imperial ruble (14th century – 1917).:Constantine ruble.
  
  The Constantine ruble (Russian: , ) is a rare silver coin of the Russian Empire bearing the profile of Constantine, the brother of emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. Its manufacture was being prepared at the Saint Petersburg Mint during the brief Interregnum of 1825, but it was never minted in numbers, and never circulated in public. Its existence became known in 1857 in foreign publications.
  
  Section::::History.:Imperial ruble (14th century – 1917).:Banknotes.
  
  Section::::History.:Imperial ruble (14th century – 1917).:Banknotes.:Imperial issues.
   Section::::Chervonets in Soviet Russia.:After the NEP.
  
  The collapse of NEP and the beginning of industrialization made the metal chervonets unnecessary for the economic system of the USSR. The course of the chervonetz fell to 5.4 rubles per dollar and subsequently ceased to be quoted abroad. In order to unify the financial system, the ruble was tied to a paper chervontsy. Already in 1925, one chervonets was equal to 10 rubles. Subsequently, the import and export of gold chervonets from the USSR was banned.
   The Soviet ruble replaced the ruble of the Russian Empire. The Soviet ruble (code: SUR) was the currency of the Soviet Union since 1917 until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet ruble was issued by the State Bank of the USSR. The Soviet ruble continued to be used in the 15 Post-Soviet states.
   In 1961, new State Treasury notes were introduced for 1, 3 and 5 rubles, along with new State Bank notes worth 10, 25, 50 and 100 rubles. In 1991, the State Bank took over production of 1-, 3- and 5-ruble notes and also introduced 200-, 500- and 1,000-ruble notes, although the 25-ruble note was no longer issued. In 1992, a final issue of notes was made bearing the name of the USSR before the Russian Federation introduced 5,000- and 10,000-ruble notes. These were followed by 50,000-ruble notes in 1993, 100,000 rubles in 1995 and, finally, 500,000 rubles in 1997 (dated 1995).
   The ruble was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union (as the Soviet ruble). However, today only Russia, Belarus and Transnistria use currencies with the same name. The ruble was the world's first decimal currency: it was decimalised in 1704 when the ruble became equal to 100 kopeks.
   Tajikistani ruble
  
  The rouble or ruble () was the currency of Tajikistan between May 10, 1995 and October 29, 2000. It was subdivided into 100 "tanga", although no coins or banknotes were issued denominated in tanga.
  
  Section::::History.
   The ruble is the oldest national currency after the Pound sterling, and the world's first decimal currency. The ruble has been used in the Russian territories since the 13th century. The modern Russian ruble was created in December 1991 and used in parallel with the Soviet ruble, which remained in circulation until September 1993. All Soviet coins issued in 1961–1991, respectively, as well as 1-, 2- and 3-kopek coins, issued before 1961, formally remained legal tender until 31 December 1998, and in 1999–2001 they were exchanged for Russian rubles at the ratio of 1000:1.
  
  Section::::First ruble – RUR (1992–1998).
   In 1992 the Soviet ruble (code: SUR) was replaced with the Russian ruble (code: RUR) at the rate 1 SUR = 1 RUR. In 1998 preceding the financial crisis, the Russian ruble was redenominated with the new code "RUB" and was exchanged at the rate of 1 RUB = 1,000 RUR.
  
  Section::::History.
   The first ruble issued for the Socialist government was a preliminary issue still based on the previous issue of the ruble prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. They are all in banknote form and started their issue in 1919. At this time other issues were made by the white Russian government and other governing bodies.
   The word "kopeyka" (in Russian: копейка, kopeyka) is a direct translation of old Lithuanian money "kapa" that has the same meaning "to chop" in Lithuanian as does "ruble" in Russian. For many centuries, around 500,000 km2 of contemporary Russia were Lithuanian lands inhabited by Lithuanians, and in this region Lithuanian "kapa" circulated. After the annexation of these lands by Muscovy (which in 1547 reformed itself into Russia), a modified version of this Lithuanian word came to be used by Russia as the hundredth fraction of the ruble.
  
  Section::::Ruble in the Soviet Union.
  
presuppositions: Soviet Union's Ruble was worthless.
corrections: Soviet Union's Ruble was not worthless, as it had value in the USSR.
raw_presuppositions: Soviet Union's Ruble was worthless. Soviet Union's Ruble was worthless.
raw_corrections: Soviet Union's Ruble was not worthless, as it had value in the USSR. Soviet Union's Ruble had value in the USSR.