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1961 - NEW MONEY


On Jan.1st, 1961 a money reform was implemented in the USSR. It was a reduction of nominal value: old rubles were exchanged to new as 10:1, and prices were lowered accordingly.

New bills (1,3,5,10,25,50 and 100 rubles) would last till the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bills of 10 rubles and more have Lenin's profile on them. Apart from Lenin the only pictures are views of Kremlin, and photographers call the view on the government residence from the other bank of Moscow-river "a 3-rubles view" from now on.

Prices that can't be divided in 10 are rounded up. For example a box of matches, which cost 8 old kopecks now costs 1 new kopeck (0.01 ruble). People are sure that the government swindled them - matches are now 0,2 kopecks more expensive!

Along with matches you could buy for 1 kopeck 1 kg of coal, or a glass of carbonated water, or children's newspaper "Pioneer truth";
for 2 kopecks - any other daily newspaper, or to talk from the paid street phone (for any amount of time)
for 3 kopecks - a tram ticket or a glass of soda,
for 4 kopecks - 1 kilowatt of electric power or a trolleybus ticket
for 5 kopecks - a city bus ticket or a subway (metro) ride.

Average salary was 90 rubles per month in cities and 70 in countryside.

People could not get used to "new" money for a long time. One could hear phrases like "It's 5 rubles - 50 rubles in old money. Boy, it's expensive!" till the mid-70s.

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