5 karbovantsev 1942

Common. While this note represents a historically significant occupation-era issue, eBay market data shows consistent availability with sales ranging from approximately $4 to $170+ depending on condition grade and professional certification. Notes in lower grades (F-VF) consistently sell for under $20, and even higher-grade examples (PMG 65-66) show repeat sales over multiple years, indicating adequate supply in the collector market. The Zentralnotenbank Ukraine issued currency across multiple denominations and years during the occupation period (1942-1944), and this Pick 51 appears to have maintained reasonable circulation quantities. Rarity assessments should be condition-specific rather than inherent to the type.

This note was issued by the Zentralnotenbank Ukraine (Central Note Bank Ukraine), the German-controlled central bank established to manage currency in occupied Ukraine during World War II. The March 5-10, 1942 issuance date and German language prominently featured on both obverse and reverse reflect the Nazi occupation period, with the note serving as legal tender under German administrative control. The inclusion of both German and Ukrainian (Cyrillic) text represents the complex linguistic and political dynamics of the occupation, attempting to legitimize German financial authority while acknowledging Ukrainian identity.

The obverse features a classical portrait of a young woman in left-facing profile, rendered in sepia/brown tones and enclosed within an ornate rectangular frame with decorative elements. The denomination '5' appears in large text on both the left and right margins, flanking the portrait. The reverse displays a text-based design with the same large '5' denominations in ornate frames on left and right sides, containing bilingual German-Ukrainian legal notices regarding counterfeiting penalties and the issuing authority. Both sides employ an intricate geometric crosshatch background pattern as a security measure. The overall design aesthetic reflects late Weimar and early Nazi-era graphic conventions, with formal, restrained ornamentation typical of Central European currency production.

FRONT: Denomination '5' (Arabic numerals); 'FÜNF KARBOWANETZ' (German: Five karbovanetz); 'Ausgegebenen auf Grund der Verordnung vom 5. März 1942' (German: Issued on the basis of the ordinance of March 5, 1942); 'ROWNO den 10. März 1942' (German: Rowno [Rivne], March 10, 1942); 'ZENTRALNOTENBANKUKRAINE' (German: Central Note Bank Ukraine); Serial number '29 0289943'. BACK: Denomination '5' (Arabic numerals); 'ZENTRALNOTENBANKUKRAINE' (German: Central Note Bank Ukraine); 'FÜNF KARBOWANETZ' (German: Five karbovanetz); 'GELDFÄLSCHUNG WIRD MIT ZUCHTHAUS BESTRAFT' (German: Counterfeiting will be punished with imprisonment); 'ФАЛЬШУВАННЯ ГРОШЕВИХ ЗНАКІВ КАРАЄТЬСЯ ТЯЖНОЮ ТЮРМОЮ' (Ukrainian: Counterfeiting of monetary signs is punished by hard labor); 'ЦЬНТРАЛЬНИЙ ЕМІСІЙНИЙ БАНК УКРАЇНА' (Ukrainian: Central Emission Bank Ukraine).

This note was produced using fine line engraving and intaglio printing methods, as evidenced by the sharp detail in the portrait rendering, the crisp geometric crosshatch security pattern, and the precise text reproduction observed across both sides. The consistent ink application and absence of registration issues suggest professional security printer production. While the specific printer for this Zentralnotenbank Ukraine series is not definitively documented in standard references, such occupation-era currency was typically produced by German government printing facilities or contracted German security printers under Nazi administrative control.

The observed serial number '29 0289943' indicates this is from the standard production run of the 1942 issue dated March 10, 1942, issued from Rowno (Rivne). PMG population data indicates one variant catalogued for Pick 51. No overprints, signature variations, or other notable varieties are apparent in this example. The note represents the standard bilingual German-Ukrainian design without modifications or commemorative elements.