In its Best-of-April-Fools’-Joke collection, Spiegel Online includes a Kazakhstan-related anecdote from 1995:

The bankers didn’t believe their eyes: Because of an early April Fools’ joke, thousands of Kazakhstanis besieged the country’s banks. A local newspaper cracked a joke when it reported that the security bars on the country’s 10-Tenge notes contained precious metal.

During the printing process, strips of gold and platinum had accidentally been used. The banks bought the notes for 250 USD, it was said. Many Kazakhstanis sniffed a chance, as at that time the US-Dollar was worth 60 Tenge. Once the news turned out to be a hoax, some angry customers caused a tumult.

Anyone from Kazakhstan who can remember this story?