Catalog
20 Lei 1880 Provisional Issue
| Issuer | Banca Națională a României |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
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| Reference(s) | P#9 |
| Obverse description | Central value inscription with date above and signatures below; a vignette of the Danube at Drobeta Turnu Severin with the bridge of Apollodorus spans the lower register. Left field carries an allegorical group of a Roman legionnaire and Dacian woman flanked by Emperor Trajan and military trophies; right field bears a large white medallion with value in ornate cartouche supported by a golden eagle, with the Romanian coat of arms below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCA NATIONALA A ROMANIEI BILET HYPOTHECAR 12 JUNIU 1977 DOUE-DECI LEI MINISTRU DE FINANCIE MEMBRII AI COMITETULUI BILETELOR HIPOTHECARE Casier cal al Tesaurului ROMANIA A. BRAMTOT et G. DUVAL fec. P. DUJARDIN sc. |
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| Comments |
Romania's first central bank — established only in 1880 — needed circulating notes quickly. Rather than commission an entirely new series, the BNR issued this note as a provisional measure using a plate design credited to Bramtot and Duval, with engraving by Paul Dujardin, all associated with French printing traditions of the period. The arrangement was typical of newly founded issuing institutions leaning on established Western European printing expertise while domestic infrastructure was still being organized.
The 1945 print date is not a misprint — this design was reissued during the turbulent final months of World War II, decades after its original introduction, as Romania faced acute currency shortages following the Soviet-backed political transition and the economic disruptions of the German occupation.