10 Bani - Carol I Pattern Strike

Pattern strikes for Romanian coinage in this period were frequently produced in alternative metals to test both die quality and public reception before committing to a full production run. The 1905 aluminium trial predates Romania's formal adoption of aluminium for circulating coinage by several decades — the metal was still considered a novelty material for monetary purposes in most of Europe at the time, associated more with laboratory weights and prestige goods than pocket change.