100 Lei - FAO Pattern

This piece was struck as part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's global coin program, which ran from the late 1960s through the 1990s and encouraged member nations to issue coins promoting food security and agricultural development — often with little coordination between the FAO and the actual minting authorities. Romania's participation came during a period of significant economic dislocation following the collapse of Ceaușescu's regime in 1989, when the national currency was under sustained inflationary pressure. That a pattern rather than a circulation issue resulted is consistent with the program's uneven execution across member states.