Second issue. Artist: I. Bilibin. With an image of Peter I (from the portrait by Carl Moor, 1717)
By 1916, a shortage of copper coinage had already become evident, although minting was still carried out in large runs. Therefore, the second issue aimed to smooth out the lack of copper coins. It included stamp-money with portraits of Peter I (1 kopek), Alexander II (2 kopeks), and Alexander III (3 kopeks). Like the previous issue, they were perforated. Printing was done by the usual typographic method. The difference from postage stamps lay in the absence of gum, cardboard instead of paper, and the inscription on the reverse: “Circulates on a par with copper coin.” If at the beginning of the issue good grades of cardboard were sent to the printing house, later its quality noticeably declined.
Russian stamp-money was also used for propaganda purposes. Germany, which was at war with us, printed counterfeit stamp-money and could not resist placing on the reverse a text derogatory toward the Russian Empire. Two variants are known: “Circulates on a par with robbery and deceit of the rulers” and “Circulates on a par with the bankruptcy of the silver coinage.” However, in times of widespread illiteracy, it is unlikely that the German stamp-money, as a taunt, achieved its intended goal. Moreover, after the revolutionary events, Germany had no time for provocations, and most of the counterfeit issue remained on its territory.