1 Lek

Albania's postwar zinc coinage was a direct product of the country's isolation following Enver Hoxha's break with Yugoslavia in 1948 and subsequent dependence on Soviet economic support. Zinc was the material of necessity — copper and nickel allocations were effectively controlled by industrial priorities, and the nascent People's Republic had little leverage over its own supply chains.

Zinc coins from this period corrode aggressively in anything short of ideal storage conditions, making problem-free survivors genuinely scarce.