1919 Russia Early Soviet (RSFSR) 15 Roubles Banknote P# 98 Grades Choice AU/BU Slider. Up for auction is a banknote from the first issue of paper currency for the newly established Soviet Russia. Issued during the Russian Civil War, this is the first of four early Soviet issues -- the first three of which were still largely pegged to pre-revolution Imperial Rubles. In the years immediately following the Russian Revolution of 1917, during several provisional governments and the chaos of WWI, the Ruble suffered a period of hyperinflation that resulted in notes being issued in denominations as high as 10,000,000 Rubles. It was not until the fourth issue of the Soviet Ruble under Stalin in 1924 that a cohesive replacement currency for the Soviet Union was adopted and hyperinflation was tamed.