100 Lekë

Albania's bimetallic coinage program of the late 1990s and early 2000s coincided with the country's painful reconstruction following the 1997 collapse of several pyramid schemes that had absorbed an estimated two-thirds of the population's savings. The ensuing civil unrest destroyed much of the state infrastructure, including the banking system. Restoring confidence in physical currency was a deliberate policy priority.

The 100 Lekë denomination sits at the upper end of Albania's circulating coin range and saw reasonably heavy everyday use through the early 2000s.