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The URALS francs are the notes printed in Ekaterinburg
(formerly Sverdlovsk) for posssible circulation in the Sverdlovsk province in
the same framework like Nyzhny Novgorod locals but never issued. A referendum
was held in 1993 on the creation of the Urals Republic in the Sverdlovsk
province with 84% of the people “FOR” with the main idea being to spend
mainly locally the money earned locally. On October 27, 1993 the new republic
was proclaimed but on Nov. 10, 1993 President Yeltsin sacked the governor Eduard
Rossel’ and the idea was dead. (See Argumenty & Fakti, N 22 (971), June
1999).
Actually the following nominal values are known: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500
& 1000 francs.
The notes of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 francs were used STAMPED at the canteen of
the metallurgy plant at Serov (Sverdlovsk province) and irrespective of the
nominal value they had the real value of 7R. (the cost of one meal) BEFORE
AUGUST 1998. There are different types of ink stamps of the plant. ONLY THOSE
STAMPS BEARING THE NAME OF THE SEROV METALLURGY PLANT (e.g. TECHNOGRAD SEVERNYI)
OR RELATING TO IT ARE LEGITIMATE. Known
are the Urals francs with random stamps as fakes.
The Urals francs were issued at Serov because one of the Yekaterinburg
activists Anton Bakov closely associated with the idea of “own” money was
appointed as the plant’s manager.
The notes are listed in Ryabchenko catalogue for Russia (2000) under
17729-17733.
These notes represent a very interesting case of status reversal. First they
were planned as provincial money but were never issued then reversing their
status to private money (scrip) having been brought in the catalogue exactly
under the latter case.
It should be noted that the name of the city is Yekaterinburg but the name of
the province is Sverdlovskaya oblast'. There are two signatures on the notes –
chairman of the board and treasurer and it is not known to whom they actually
belong.
Famous personalities of the Urals region are depicted in the middle of the
notes:
1 franc – Ibak, local mithological figure ??????
5 francs – Nikita Demidov (Nikita Demidovich Antufiev 1656-1725, organizer
of Russian metal factories in the Urals
10 francs – A.B. Anossov , ???? there was Pavel P. Anossov (1799-1851),
metallurgy engineer.
20 francs – Dmitry N. Mamin-Sibiryak (1852-1912), Russian writer
50 francs – Mikhail V. Nesterov (1962-1942), Russian painter
100 francs – Dmitry I. Mendeleev, famous chemist, creator of the Table of
Elements
500 francs – Serguei P. Dyaguilev(1872-1929), stage manager
1000 francs – Piotr I. Chaikovsky, Russian composer
M.Istomin
April 2002
Kharkov
Ukraine
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