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20 Lei Reverse Trial
| Issuer | Romania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1930 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Lei |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central composition depicting a group of five female figures in traditional Romanian folk costume, rendered in high relief in a naturalistic artistic style. A central standing woman, slightly taller and positioned at the apex of the group, holds a small child or infant against her chest, flanked symmetrically by two pairs of women leaning inward in a protective, communal pose. The denomination legend '20' appears to the left of the group and 'LEI' to the right, both in incuse Latin script within the open field. The engraver's signature 'BASSARAB' is inscribed in small letters at the lower right of the field near the base of the figures. The design is bordered by a fine milled inner rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Blank reverse die, characteristic of a reverse trial strike, presenting a completely unadorned, uniface field with concentric lathe-turned tool marks radiating from a central pivot point. The field exhibits no device, legend, or inscription of any kind, confirming the experimental nature of this piece as a reverse trial intended solely to test the obverse die. The milled edge border is present and consistent with the intended production specification. |
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| Additional information |
The 1930 Romanian coinage reform followed the country's monetary reorganization after the devastating inflation of the early 1920s, when the leu lost nearly all its prewar value. Trial and pattern pieces from this period were produced as the National Bank evaluated designs before committing to full production runs. Reverse trials in silver are particularly scarce — they document a stage of the approval process that left almost no paper trail in Romanian mint records.
The mint responsible was likely Poissy or London, both of which struck Romanian coinage during this period under contract.