The 1938 Lithuanian pattern coinage was produced under significant political pressure — Antanas Smetona's authoritarian government was acutely aware that Soviet and German territorial ambitions were closing in, and the regular coin program was already winding down. Lithuania would lose Memel to Germany in March 1939 and Soviet occupation followed in 1940, effectively ending independent coinage altogether. This pattern never entered circulation.
Kopicki 3661 is the standard reference for this piece among Lithuanian specialists.
The 1938 Lithuanian pattern coinage was produced under significant political pressure — Antanas Smetona's authoritarian government was acutely aware that Soviet and German territorial ambitions were closing in, and the regular coin program was already winding down. Lithuania would lose Memel to Germany in March 1939 and Soviet occupation followed in 1940, effectively ending independent coinage altogether. This pattern never entered circulation.
Kopicki 3661 is the standard reference for this piece among Lithuanian specialists.