Catalog
0.10 Lek
| Issuer | Banka e Shtetit Shqiptar (State Bank of Albania) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1965 |
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| Currency | Old lek (1926-1965) |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress print on pink underprint, with the Albanian coat of arms vignette at right. The face carries multiple lines of text including the issuing authority and denomination, with a red serial number. Guilloche patterning forms the decorative underprint across the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANKA E SHTETIT SHQIPTAR REPUBLIKA POPULLORE E SHQIPËRISË (Translation: State Bank of Albania. People's Republic of Albania.) |
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| Comments |
The 1965 Albanian currency reform replaced the old lek at a rate of 10:1, effectively wiping out a decade of inflationary erosion built up since the communist government consolidated power. This 0.10 lek denomination — worth one old lek after conversion — was part of a complete new series introduced that year as the country deepened its alignment with China following the break with the Soviet Union in 1961.
Albania under Enver Hoxha was by then one of the most isolated economies in Europe, and these low-denomination notes circulated in a system where private trade was essentially illegal.