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100 Lek
| Issuer | Banka e Shtetit Shqiptar (State Bank of Albania) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953 |
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| Currency | Old lek (1926-1965) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in brown and red on a yellow guilloche underprint, the obverse carries the Albanian state coat of arms — a double-headed eagle surmounted by a red star within an oval cartouche — at the right. The central panel, set against a bright yellow background with red guilloche ornamental lines, bears the denomination and issuer name in bold letterpress, flanked by decorative scrollwork and floral corner ornaments; the date 1953 appears within a small frame at lower right. Two manuscript signatures appear across the central panel alongside handwritten text, with the serial number printed twice. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | BANKA E SHTETIT SHQIPTAR REPUBLIKA POPULLORE E SHQIPËRISË (Translation: State Bank of Albania. People's Republic of Albania.) |
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| Comments |
The 1953 series was produced during the height of Albanian-Soviet alignment, when Goznak in Moscow was printing currency for several Eastern Bloc states simultaneously. Albania's monetary printing arrangement with the Soviet Union reflected a practical dependency — the country had no domestic intaglio capacity and had relied on foreign presses since independence.
Enver Hoxha's break with Moscow came in 1961, after which Soviet-printed notes like this one took on an awkward political charge. The series was eventually replaced, and large quantities were withdrawn and destroyed rather than held in reserve.