Did the USSR mint any coins or print any bills with Joseph Stalin's picture on them? What about other Soviet satellite states?
I knew there had to be at least one, and I just happened to open my 1993 edition of the Standard Catalog of World Coins, and up popped Uncle Joe. Czechoslovakia issued a pair of silver of coins (Kcs 50 and Kcs 100) for Marshal Stalin's 70th birthday in 1949. At the time, Klement Gottwald was the Communist Party leader and President of Czechoslovakia and was considered at the time as Stalin's most loyal eastern European satellite leader.
I don't know of any Soviet coins or notes with Stalin's portrait on them. I find it interesting that this was true even at the height of the Stalin personality cult during the 30's and 40's. Perhaps the propaganda posters were considered to be more effective. For example, one poster showed Stalin posing with a little girl with the inscription, "Thank you, Comrade Stalin, for my happy childhood". The girl's parents were arrested and shot soon after that picture was taken...
I don't believe there are any coins with Hitler or Mussolini on them either. For whatever reason the dictators didn't put themselves on their money. I know I've seen Hitler on stamps but I don't know about Stalin.
Marshal Stalin was unusually modest as a leader who shunned certain sovereign symbols of the Soviet state; coins, banknotes, even postage stamps. There are only a few Soviet stamps with Stalin's portrait issued prior to 1953, but that is all. This is a man who famously understated, "the leaders come and go, but the people always remain."
here's a Ebay link: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...++.TRS0&_nkw=russia++Joseph+Stalin&_sacat=256 mostly from Czechoslovakia 100 Korun coins
Hiddendragon_ here a Italy 20 lire Mussolini coin off Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1928-ITALY-...3633153?pt=US_World_Coins&hash=item3ce2d4c701 you are right it is a medal and NOT legal tender.