On 31 October 2006, the Bank of Russia announced that it intends to replace all 10-ruble (Pick 273, US$0.37) banknotes with coins. “Coins serve longer than banknotes,” explained deputy chairman Georgy Luntovsky. Coins can circulate for 10 to 15 years, while 10- and 50-ruble notes have a lifetime of approximately half a year.
On 22 October 2009, the bank announced that it would stop issuing 10-ruble (US$0.35) banknotes in 2010 because they wear out quickly and are too expensive to produce. The notes will be replaced by a coin.
Courtesy of Mikhail Istomin.