Actually Transnistria has a LOT to do with Ukraine; they share a long common border that's a smuggler's paradise; residents voted 20 to 1 to attempt to rejoin Russia, but Russia doesn't want them, because there's hostile territory in-between. Transnistria "broke away" from Moldova because Moldova's a loser with dim prospects, one of the poorest nations in Europe. On top of that, Transnistria is up for grabs; it's not a legal entity, for all practical purposes, it exists only in a desk drawer somewhere. Its future will be a serious problem for years to come. The Washington Post has covered its ups and downs very well. That said, Cecilia, one could do worse than collect the attractive and colorful notes of the now-independent chunks of the USSR. They are cheap, due to runaway inflation, and short-lived, so plenty of new material to acquire. Just think of 500 different notes, behind Plexiglass, across one entire wall of your living room -- a wallpaper to die for. (But don't locate them where sunshine or fluorescent lighting would strike them) Even the cat would be impressed.
Those I have too - raw of course. From what I have read though, the primary target group was not the general population but collectors like you and me ... Christian
Transnistrian Banknotes have come a long way since those awful cheapies posted in this thread y'all... The cutest is the Rbl.500 Catherine the Great... They glory in their Russian-ness, and the engraving is taken from gigantic Tsarist-era Banknotes... a tasteful amalgamation of the old and the new... ....and I think they are really beautiful........
"They are cheap, due to runaway inflation, and short-lived, so plenty of new material to acquire." It varies enormously. Belarus is home to Europe's most worthless currency unit, whilst neighbouring Latvia has not only the most valuable unit of currency in Europe, but the world's 4th most costly unit of currency, and the most precious of any non-Gulf state.
Your facts are partly correct, but "units" of currency don't mean a thing. Before World War I, the British pound was probably the largest "unit" available, but it certainly had no effect on the country. The "guinea" was even larger than the pound. Other than the fact that a "big" unit might require the minting of more subsidiary coinage, I can't think of any effect whatsoever. Incidentally, Latvia uses the Euro, which is worth the same throughout the Eurozone, slightly more than a US Dollar, about $1.14 today.