Kyrgyzstan: post-Soviet coinage

Started by <k>, October 16, 2020, 09:49:41 PM

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<k>



Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan.


From Wikipedia:

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic and also known as Kirghizia, is the smallest of the five former Soviet states in Central Asia, with an area of 199,951 km2 (77,202 sq miles). Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan's population was estimated at 6,389,500 in 2019. The country is rural: only about one-third of the population live in urban areas.

Kyrgyzstan's history spans a variety of cultures and empires. Although geographically isolated by its highly mountainous terrain, Kyrgyzstan has been at the crossroads of several great civilizations as part of the Silk Road and other commercial routes. Though long inhabited by a succession of independent tribes and clans, Kyrgyzstan has periodically fallen under foreign domination. Between periods of self-government, it was ruled by Göktürks, the Uyghur Empire, and the Khitan people, before being conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century. It regained its independence but was invaded by Kalmyks, Manchus and Uzbeks.

In 1876 it became part of the Russian Empire. After the Russian Revolution, it remained in the USSR as the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic . Following Mikhael Gorbachev's democratic reforms in the USSR, in 1990 pro-independence candidate Askar Akayev was elected president. On 31 August 1991, Kyrgyzstan declared independence from Moscow, and a democratic government was established. Kyrgyzstan attained sovereignty as a nation state after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Since independence, Kyrgyzstan has officially been a unitary parliamentary republic, although it continues to endure ethnic conflicts, revolts, economic troubles, transitional governments and political conflict.

Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's six million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians. Kyrgyz is closely related to other Turkic languages, although Russian remains widely spoken and is an official language, a legacy of a century of Russification. Ninety percent of the population are Muslims, with the majority being Sunni. In addition to its Turkic origins, Kyrgyz culture bears elements of Persian, Mongolian and Russian influence.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#1


Map of Kyrgyzstan.




Map of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#2


From Wikipedia:

The emblem of Kyrgyzstan was adopted in 2016. The emblem is mostly in the color blue. Light blue is known as the Kyrgyz color of courage and generosity. To the left and right of the coat of arms, wheat and cotton are displayed. In the upper part, the name of the country appears in Kyrgyz: "Кыргыз Республикасы" (Qırğız Respublikası).

In the foreground, in the lower-most part of the blue circle, is a frontal image of a white falcon with wings wide open. The bird "Ak Shumkar", as a symbol of purity and nobleness of thoughts, is sung in legends and folk epics. The bird represents a way of life, the traditional culture of the Kyrgyz people, and symbolizes the protection of the Kyrgyz land stretching behind it, with Issyk-Kul and the snowy peaks of the Ala-Too mountains (especially the Tian Shan peaks). In the depths of the circle, the sun rises, golden rays shining on the sacred land of Kyrgyzstan. The forty rays that extend from the sun refer to the legendary forty clans of Manas.

The decorative frame in the form of a ribbon strip includes the words "Кыргыз" (Kyrgyz) and "Республикасы" (Republic). The frame includes ornamental motifs, stylized open cotton bolls, and ears of wheat - the main cultivated crops on Kyrgyz soil.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#3


From Wikipedia:

The flag of Kyrgyzstan consists of a red field charged with a yellow sun that contains a depiction of a tunduk, the opening in the center of the roof of a yurt (traditional tent). It is actually a depiction of the first thing that one sees when waking up in a yurt, namely the three crisscrossing laths across the circular opening at the top of the yurt. Adopted in 1992, just over seven months after the country's independence was declared, to replace the flag of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), it has been the flag of the Kyrgyz Republic since that year. The red on the flag is said to be inspired by the pennant lifted by Manas, the country's folk hero.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#4
INTRODUCTION OF THE SOM

From Wikipedia:

In the Soviet Union, speakers of the Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uzbek languages called the ruble the som. This name appeared on the back of Soviet banknotes, among the texts for the value of the bill in all 15 official languages of the Soviet Union. The word som (sometimes transliterated "sum" or "soum") means "pure" in Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uyghur and Uzbek, as well as in many other Turkic languages. The word implies "pure gold".

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Central Bank of Russia was authorized to take over the State Bank of the USSR (Gosbank) on 1 January 1992. It continued to ship USSR ruble notes and coins to the central banks of the fourteen newly independent countries, which had formerly been the main branches of Gosbank in the republics. The political situation, however, was not favorable for maintaining a common currency.

During the first half of 1992, a monetary union existed, and all 15 independent states used the ruble. Since it was clear that the situation would not last, each of them issued huge amounts of money in the form of credit. As a result, some countries began issuing coupons in order to "protect" their markets from buyers from other states. The Russian central bank responded in July 1992 by setting up restrictions on the flow of credit between Russia and other states. The final collapse of the ruble zone began when Russia pulled out of the exchange of banknotes by the Central Bank of Russia on Russian territory at the end of July 1993.

The som was introduced on May 10, 1993, replacing the Soviet ruble at a rate of 1 som = 200 rubles. Initially only banknotes were issued. Coins were not introduced until January 2008, making Kyrgyzstan second last of the former Soviet republics to issue coins. Belarus was the last to do so.

The coins of 2008 were issued in denominations of 10 and 50 tiyin and 1, 3 and 5 som. All the coins are minted by the Kazakhstan mint in Ust-Kamenogorsk and bear some resemblance to coins of the Russian Federation.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#5
Kyrgyzstan 1 tiyin 2008.jpg


The 1 tiyin coin is made of brass.

The 10 and 50 tiyin coins were made of brass-plated steel.

Their common obverse design features the national emblem.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#6
Kyrgyzstan 1 tiyin 2008-.jpg


The reverse of the 1 tiyin coin.

It features a gul, a stylised flower used in traditional Kyrgyz ornamental art.

The 1 tiyin coin is 14 mm in diameter and weighs 1 gram.

The Kyrgyz use Cyrillic script on their coins.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#7
Kyrgyzstan 10 tiyin 2008.jpg


The reverse of the 10 tiyin coin also features a gul.

The 10 tiyin coin is 15 mm in diameter and weighs 1.3 grams.

There is no 5 tiyin coin.

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#8
Kyrgyzstan 50 tiyin 2008.jpg


The reverse of the 50 tiyin coin also features a gul.

The 50 tiyin coin is 17 mm in diameter and weighs 1.8 grams.

There is no 20 or 25 tiyin coin.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#9
Kyrgyzstan 5 som 2008.jpg


The 1, 3 and 5 som of 2008 are all made of nickel-plated steel.

Here you see their common obverse design, which features the national emblem.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#10
Kyrgyzstan 1 som 2008-.jpg


The reverse of the 1 som coin of 2008.

The 1 som coin is 19 mm in diameter and weighs 2.5 grams.

I will explain the symbols on the design below.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#11
Kyrgyzstan 3 som 2008-.jpg


The reverse of the 3 som coin of 2008.

The 3 som coin is 21 mm in diameter and weighs 3.2 grams.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#12
Kyrgyzstan 5 som 2008.jpg


The reverse of the 5 som coin.

This was the highest denomination issued in 2008.

It has a slightly different design from the other som coins.

The 5 som coin is 23 mm in diameter and weighs 4.2 grams.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#13
Kyrgyzstan 10 som 2009.jpg


In 2009 Kyrgyzstan issued a new high denomination coin, the highest to date: 10 som.

The nickel-plated steel 5 som coin is 24.5 mm in diameter and weighs 5.4 grams.

It is round with a heptagonal inner rim.


The obverse features the national emblem as usual.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#14
Kyrgyzstan 10 som 2009-.jpg


The reverse of the 10 som coin.

The symbol seen on the reverse of the other som coins is here positioned above the figure 10.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.