10 Litu

Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence in March 1990, but the transition away from Soviet roubles took time — the litas, reintroduced in 1993, was preceded by the talonas coupon system. This 1991 note was printed well ahead of actual monetary reform, ordered from USBNC in New York as part of the preparatory stockpile that Lithuania quietly accumulated before its currency could be formally launched. The order itself was a political act: contracting an American security printer while still nominally under Soviet pressure was anything but routine.

USBNC ceased operations in 1989, meaning these notes were almost certainly printed before the company's closure and held in reserve — the 1991 date likely reflects authorization or delivery, not press date.