Catalog
2 Lei - Carol I Pattern Strike
| Issuer | Principality of Romania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1869 |
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| Engraver(s) | Leonard Charles Wyon |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed effigy of Prince Carol I facing right, with short hair and a prominent moustache with chin beard, rendered in finely modelled high relief. The engraver's signature WYON appears in small capitals below the truncation. The circumferential Latin legend CAROL I DOMNU AL ROMANILOR. runs along the upper periphery, separated from the effigy by a plain field. The design is framed by an inner beaded border. |
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| Mintage | 1869 |
| Additional information |
Romania's monetary system was still being assembled in 1869 — the leu had only been formally established two years earlier, in 1867, and the fledgling principality was actively negotiating with foreign mints to produce its coinage. Pattern strikes from this period were submitted by competing mints, primarily in Brussels and Birmingham, as bids for lucrative production contracts. White metal was the standard material for such proposals, inexpensive and easily worked, used to demonstrate die quality without committing to a precious metal.
KM#Pn26 was never adopted for circulation. Romania ultimately awarded its early contracts to the Brussels mint.