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20 Lei
| Issuer | National Bank of Romania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1991-2003 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Lei (20 ROL) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features a right-facing bust of Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great), Prince of Moldavia, rendered in a stylized portrait. The legend ROMANIA arcs along the upper rim, with the engraver's initials C.D. incorporated into the design. Two decorative arc-shaped borders composed of seven pearls each flank the portrait on either side, forming an ornamental inner frame within the coin's field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Romania's monetary system was in freefall through the 1990s — inflation peaked above 300% in 1993, and the 20 Lei denomination, worth something meaningful at issue, had become effectively valueless long before the series ended in 2003. The brass-plated steel composition was a direct response to austerity; earlier Romanian issues had used genuine copper-nickel, and the switch to cheaper plated steel tracked the country's post-Ceaușescu economic collapse almost year by year.
The leu was eventually redenominated in 2005 at a ratio of 10,000 old lei to 1 new leu, which tells you everything about what happened to this coin's purchasing power across its twelve-year run.