From the early 1960s, the USSR began to develop active cooperation with socialist and developing countries. Thousands of Soviet specialists were sent abroad for work. The government faced the question of how to “protect” them from foreign currency.
A practical need emerged to create a system in which citizens would not receive foreign currency in hand and would spend the money they earned in foreign currency at home.
The most important parts of the new system were the USSR Bank for Foreign Trade (Vneshtorgbank of the USSR) and the all-Union association Vnesposyltorg. In the former, citizens were required to keep foreign currency in the form of “invalyutny rubles,” and through the network of stores and firms of Vnesposyltorg they would spend it.
It is important to note that, unlike other socialist countries, “currency substitutes” in the USSR were issued not for foreigners, but for the country’s own citizens.
A detachable check of Series A—for sailors of Vnesheconombank (Vneshtorgbank) of the USSR—was a monetary obligation of Vnesheconombank (Vneshtorgbank) of the USSR to pay the amount specified on the check. The checks were bound into checkbooks of the corresponding denomination. Detachable checks could be exchanged for goods in port cities of the USSR in stores of the “Albatross” system operated by the “Torgmortrans” organization. All checks were printed by Goznak.