Catalog
1 Centas Provisional
| Issuer | Lietuvos Bankas (Bank of Lithuania) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
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| Reference(s) | P#1 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Dark blue-green intaglio print on a finely engraved guilloche background. A large central medallion, enclosed within an ornate scrollwork frame with laurel branches, bears the Vytis — the mounted knight coat of arms of Lithuania — at its heart. The numeral "1" appears in ornamental cartouches to the left and right of the central vignette. The denomination "VIENAS CENTAS" is lettered in a plain band at the foot, with the bank title legend across the top. |
| Reverse lettering | LIETUVOS BANKO LAIKINASIS BANKNOTAS VIENAS CENTAS (Translation: Lithuanian Bank Provisional Banknote / One cent) |
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| Comments |
Lithuania's first banknote series, issued just months after the litas replaced the German-occupation ostmark in 1922. The Bank of Lithuania had no established printing infrastructure at that point, and these earliest low-denomination notes were produced domestically in Kaunas under genuinely provisional conditions — hence the designation. The printing quality reflects that urgency.
Pick #1 is the lowest denomination of the inaugural litas series, making it the first standardized paper currency issued by an independent Lithuanian state. The series as a whole was quickly superseded by better-produced issues, which pushed these provisional notes out of circulation relatively fast.