Kapiejka (1/100 Rubel) Coin of Belarus Catalog

Illustrated Specimen Details: Copper-Plated Steel Kapiejka

Example Specimen: 1 Kapiejka, 2009 (Republic of Belarus)

Authority & Heraldry: Issued by the Republic of Belarus. The obverse features the national emblem of Belarus: a ribbon in the colors of the national flag, a silhouette of Belarus, wheat ears, and a red star. (Note: It is sometimes referred to as the coat of arms of Belarus, although in heraldic terms this is inaccurate as the emblem does not respect the rules of conventional heraldry. The emblem is an allusion to one that was used by the Byelorussian SSR, with the biggest change being a replacement of the Communist hammer and sickle with a silhouette of Belarus). The obverse also bears the inscription "БЕЛАРУСЬ" (Belarus). The reverse displays the denomination "1 КАПЕЙКА" (1 kapiejka) alongside a traditional Belarusian national ornament.

1. REPUBLIC OF BELARUS (2009-present): kapiejka = 1/100 rubel

KAPIEJKA (Belarusian "Капейка") as a coin name is the Belarusian form of the East Slavic monetary term related to the better-known kopeck or kopeyka. While some numismatic sources denote three different modern fractional coins — Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian — under the single term "kopeck", it is more accurate to distinguish them by their national linguistic spellings in Latin characters. Namely, the Russian coin is the kopeck (копейка), the Ukrainian is the kopiika (копійка), and the Belarusian is the kapiejka (капейка). The Belarusian kapiejka can be seen as a local descendant of the Russian kopeck, which was used in Belarusian lands during the last few centuries of Russian colonization.

History and Evolution of the Kapiejka

Historical Background & Origin

The kapiejka is the fractional monetary unit of the modern Belarusian currency system, equal to 1/100 of a rubel. The denomination became part of the decimal monetary structure of the Belarusian rubel following the country’s currency redenomination reform. This reform simplified the national currency by removing extra zeros caused by long-term inflation.

Although the subdivision officially existed earlier in accounting form, circulating Belarusian kapiejka coins were introduced only after the 2016 redenomination. Interestingly, this specific 1 kapiejka coin (along with other coins of the 2009 series) became the first circulating national coin in the entire history of Belarus. Before that, since 1996, the country had only minted non-circulating commemorative coins.

Design and Physical Characteristics

Modern Belarusian kapiejka coins are issued in several denominations and share a unified design language. They commonly feature a combination of state symbols and cultural heritage elements, most notably the traditional Belarusian national ornamentation and clear, decimal coin designs. The 1 kapiejka coin, struck in copper-plated steel by the Kremnica Mint in Slovakia, perfectly illustrates this functional and culturally distinct approach to modern coinage.