Just because I have never heard of this doesn't mean it didn't exist. Having said that, this paper seems to be in incredible condition for something that the seller is from the 1940s. The "watermarks" do not make the seller's case more convincing. In fact, they do the opposite, having seen the detailed and even the simplest Soviet watermarks that are far more - well, "Soviet" than these wavy lines.
I never heard of gulag money as far as i know there was never a monetary system in the gulags. I did read there was a quotas system meaning if some one did X amount of work or produced X amount of things they received extra rations. Maybe these are ration cards if there actually original.But who knows the Germans used currency in the ghettos so why not the soviets with something similar?
Thanks guys. Really good work ph3s - I was in great doubt about the "funny money" mainly because of the bad watermarks and the newness of the paper and ink.