1 Litauras Lithuania

The Litas had been Lithuania's currency before Soviet occupation, and when independence was restored in 1990, the country initially had no currency of its own — the Soviet ruble remained in circulation while the new banking infrastructure was assembled. The 1991 Litauras was one of several transitional coupon-type instruments issued by regional branches of Lietuvos Bankas, Šiauliai among them, to manage local exchange before a national currency could be properly established.

Printed domestically under constrained conditions, the note reflects the practical limitations of a newly reconstituted state printing operation. The Šiauliai branch designation is an unusually specific attribution for what is essentially an emergency interim instrument.