Overstruck star and numeral 2.
Restaurant and tavern tokens served as substitute means of payment in the many drinking establishments of pre-revolutionary Russia’s major cities. Coin-like tokens were an everyday feature of both metropolitan and provincial restaurants, taverns, cafes, canteens, and snack bars. The issue of such tokens was tied to the desire of factory, plant, and workshop owners to increase their profits. Workers and employees received part of their wages in tokens and spent them in shops owned by the companies. Restaurant and tavern tokens appeared in Russia in 1875 and became widespread in large industrial cities. So-called tavern checks had a purely internal, accounting function. They were intended for in-house settlement between the establishment’s staff and the cashier. Tavern checks, having turned into a fashion trend and a marker of wealth and prestige for restaurant owners, became firmly embedded in everyday Russian life and spread everywhere. Similar tokens were issued by restaurants, clubs, snack bars, taverns, cafes, and other drinking establishments.