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20 Lei - Mihai I
| Issuer | Romania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1944 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | REGATUL ROMANIEI 1942 (Translation: Kingdom of Romania) |
| Reverse description | The denomination '20' appears in large numerals in the upper portion of the field, with 'LEI' inscribed in bold letters immediately below. The central device is framed by a wreath composed of wheat ears and corn stalks tied at the base, with additional foliate elements at the top. The engraver's name H. IONESCU is incorporated into the design, and the overall composition is clean and uncluttered against a plain field. |
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| Additional information |
Romania's wartime zinc coinage was a direct consequence of the country's alliance with Nazi Germany — base metals replaced nickel and silver as strategic materials were redirected to the war effort. The 20 Lei in zinc was struck across three years of increasingly strained Romanian participation on the Eastern Front, a period that ended with the royal coup of August 1944, when Mihai I dismissed and arrested Ion Antonescu and switched Romania's allegiance to the Allies.
Zinc planchets from this period are notoriously prone to corrosion and lamination, making problem-free survivors harder to locate than mintage figures alone would suggest.