1918 Don Republic Rouble

The 1918 Don Republic Rouble was struck on planchets recycled from Imperial Russian coins, a makeshift solution amid the Civil War's shortages.

This regional issue came from the Don Cossacks, who controlled parts of southern Russia and needed their own money to pay troops and buy supplies. They based the design on earlier rouble patterns, swapping imperial symbols for simpler ones to assert independence.

Mintage records, if they ever existed, were probably destroyed in the fighting or purges that followed. We know production was limited, likely in Novocherkassk, but precise numbers remain a mystery.

Some specimens show rough edges or incomplete strikes, evidence of hurried work in a mobile mint. It's a stark reminder that coins, like wars, don't always turn out perfectly.