100 Talonas 'Coupon'

Lithuania's first post-Soviet monetary instrument was never intended as a permanent currency. The talonas was introduced in May 1991 as a rationing coupon — literally a supplement stapled into Soviet passbooks — to control the flow of rubles out of the republic during the transition away from Moscow's monetary system. The 100 talonas denomination arrived as price liberalization drove demand for higher-value coupons.

Spindulys, a Kaunas printing house with roots in the interwar First Republic, produced the entire run domestically — a deliberate political signal that Lithuania was not relying on Soviet infrastructure. The talonas was replaced by the litas in June 1993, and coupon-era notes were demonetized quickly, though a print run of over twelve million means survivors are not scarce.