50 shaliv 1918
About This Note
This is a remarkable 50 Shaliv banknote from the Ukrainian State (1918), issued during the brief period of Ukrainian independence following WWI. The note features an elegant postage stamp-like design with ornamental borders of floral and geometric patterns in red and cream, centered with large decorative numerals "50". The reverse displays the Ukrainian Tryzub (three-pronged national coat of arms) alongside text declaring the note's validity as currency. The specimen is in uncirculated condition with clean, unmarked surfaces and characteristic perforated edges.
Common. The 1918 Ukrainian emergency currency issues, while historically significant, were produced in substantial quantities across various denominations to address the severe monetary crisis of the period. Notes from this series remain relatively accessible to collectors, and the uncirculated condition, while desirable, does not significantly elevate rarity for this denomination and type.
This banknote represents a pivotal moment in Ukrainian history—the 1918 declaration of the Ukrainian People's Republic (Українська Народна Республіка), a brief independent state that existed amid the chaos of WWI's collapse and the Russian Civil War. The design's postage stamp-like appearance and the prominent Tryzub coat of arms reflect the nation's assertion of sovereignty and identity during this turbulent period. The inscription on the reverse declaring the note valid 'equally with ringing coin' acknowledges the severe currency shortage of the era and attempts to establish confidence in this emergency currency.
The obverse features a symmetrical postage stamp-like design with an ornamental crown or shell-like motif at the top center, surrounded by elaborate floral and geometric borders. The denomination '50' is displayed prominently in decorative numerals within the center, with the issuing authority's full name—Українська Народна Республіка (Ukrainian People's Republic)—inscribed below. The reverse presents a more austere design, featuring the Ukrainian Tryzub national coat of arms (a three-pronged symbol with a central cross, representing Ukraine's national identity) at the top, with the central text block containing the legal validation inscription. The color scheme emphasizes red and cream on the obverse with black and cream on the reverse, typical of emergency currency printing of the period.
FRONT: '50' (denomination), 'ШАТІВ' (Shaliv/Shahiv—Ukrainian monetary unit), 'УКРАЇНСЬКА' (Ukrainian), 'НАРОДНА РЕСПУБЛІКА' (People's Republic). BACK: 'Ходить нарівні з дзвінкою монетою' (It circulates equally with ringing/metallic coin), emphasizing the legal tender status of the note.
Letterpress or lithographic printing, characteristic of emergency currency production in 1918. The postage stamp-like format and perforated edges suggest this note may have been produced in conjunction with postal stamp printers, which was common for Ukrainian emergency issues of this period. No advanced security features are visible, reflecting the urgent production circumstances of the newly independent Ukrainian state.
This note is cataloged as Pick P-11a(2), indicating it is the second variety of the 11a type. Varieties within this issue typically relate to printer variations, overprint differences, or serial number ranges. The postage stamp format and specific design elements presented here confirm the classification, though without additional comparative specimens visible in this analysis, more granular variety determination regarding serial numbers or printer identification marks cannot be definitively established from the images provided.
