The apsar (Abkhaz: аԥсар, āpsār) is a currency of Abkhazia. So far, only coins in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 apsars and banknotes in denominations of 25 and 500 apsars have been issued. While the coins are legal tender in the Republic of Abkhazia, their usage is very limited, and the coins are mostly made for collectors. In Abkhazia, the Russian ruble is used in practice. The first apsar coins were introduced in 2008.
The name derives from the Apsars, a tribe mentioned in The Georgian Chronicles who inhabited the region in the Middle Ages and who are believed to be the ancestors of the Abkhaz people.[1][2]
The Bank of Abkhazia is responsible for the apsar coins, and has so far issued two series: "Outstanding personalities of Abkhazia" (6 coins) and "The patriotic war of the Abkhaz nation 1992–1993" (2 coins). People who have appeared on coins include:
Vladislav Ardzinba, 1st president of Abkhazia (1994–2005)
Fazil Iskander, writer
Dmitry Gulia, writer
Samson Chanba, writer and statesman
Bagrat Shinkuba, writer and politician
Aleksandr Chachba, artist
10 and 100 apsar coins are made of silver; 25 and 50 apsar coins are made of gold. The number of coins produced is low: 2,000 silver coins are minted and 1,000 gold coins.[3]
^Blauvelt, Timothy K.; Smith, Jeremy (19 November 2015). Georgia after Stalin: Nationalism and Soviet power. Routledge. ISBN 9781317369790 – via Google Books.
^Wright, John; Schofield, Richard; Goldenberg, Suzanne (16 December 2003). Transcaucasian Boundaries. Routledge. ISBN 9781135368500 – via Google Books.
^(in Russian) Regnum.ru: "Apsar" — part of the country's image
The apsar (Abkhaz: аԥсар, āpsār) is a currency of Abkhazia. So far, only coins in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 apsars and banknotes...
a sovereign territory of Georgia. Lacking effective control over the Abkhazian territory, Georgia maintains an Abkhaz government-in-exile. The region...
and the second-most traded currency. Some currencies, such as the Abkhazianapsar, are not used in day-to-day commerce, but are legal tender in their...
For example, the Moscow Mint produced the coins for Abkhazia, the Abkhazianapsar and many of the coins of India. The mint fills individual orders for...
of Georgia internationally; issues non-circulating collector coins (Abkhazianapsar) pegged to the Russian ruble) South Ossetia (de facto independent...
unrecognized or partially recognized state. These currencies include: Abkhazianapsar Alderney pound (1:1 pegged to sterling) Artsakh dram Cook Islands dollar...
Name Currency Central Bank Name Native Name Establishment Abkhazia* AbkhazianApsar National Bank of the Republic of Abkhazia Аԥсны Аҳәынҭқарра Амилаҭтә...
Euro Hungarian forint Polish złoty Romanian leu Swedish krona Eastern Abkhazianapsar (unrecognised) Armenian dram Azerbaijani manat Belarusian ruble Georgian...
Commissar for Education. From 1932 until 1937 Chanba was a fellow at the Abkhazian Institute for Language, Literature and History and from 1935 until 1937...
called Apsars. This source explains the sobriquet 'Lasha' of Tamar's son and successor George IV as meaning "enlightenment" in the language of the Apsars. Some...
Sukhumi Established February 28, 1991 Chairman Vacant Central bank of Abkhazia Currency Russian ruble, AbkhazianApsar RUB (ISO 4217) Website nb-ra.org/en/...
of the USSR) to an Iranian father (Abdul Ibragimovich Iskander) and an Abkhazian mother (Leili Khasanovna Iskander). His father was deported to Iran in...
"Bagrat Shinkuba | Abkhazian writer and political figure | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-10-31. The Abkhazians : a handbook. B. G....
the second name Lasha meant 'illuminator of the world' in the language of Apsar (cf. a-lasha meaning light in Abkhaz language). He had princely domain in...
Sharvashidze princely dynasty of Abkhazia. He was the grandson of the Abkhazian ruler Sefer Ali-Bey. His father Constantine was part of the 1832 conspiracy...
He then returned to Sukhumi and he served there as the director of the Abkhazian Institute of Language, Literature and History from 1987 until 1989, when...
was an Abkhazian Soviet writer and poet, considered to be one of the founders of Abkhaz literature. He is often called “The Father of Abkhazian Literature”...
Global Information
Abkhazia (alongside Russian ruble)
