Link here: Auction link

I had a good laugh with that

Well poor buyer, if I said that I got a whole set of such coins (much more than his, I got 66) for around 1100 rubles (around 38USD?), I think he's going to break down...

Don't tell him. He will probably go back to smoking.

Good story, though.

I can tell you by experience it is hard not to be a smoker in Russia. I never smoked a lot, but I took cartons of cigarettes with me when I was there, they were more valuable than money a lot of the time.

Not everybody would take $, but nobody ever turned down a pack of Marlboro's. Got my way to the fronts of lines in markets, bought things without ration stamps, and best was all of the epaulets and medals from Russian soldier for one pack of cigarettes.

See cigarettes were kind of a smokable currency.

That's what the bus driver bribed the border guards with so they wouldn't rifle through our stuff and take it. They got like 2-3 cartons of smokes a piece.

Oy Karumba, they set their desires to a whole new level. When I was there the going rate was a pack, not cartons.

It was a group of 30 teenage Americans and 4 adults. I think it was worth it.

I've heard of coin collecting driving people to drink, but never as a substitute for smoking. ;-)