20 Yeni Lira Brown Bear

The "Yeni" (New) Lira was introduced on January 1, 2005, replacing the old Turkish Lira at a rate of one million to one — a redenomination made necessary after decades of inflation had pushed nominal values into the absurd. This coin was struck in that first transitional year, when the government was simultaneously trying to signal economic credibility to EU accession partners and retire a currency that had become a global shorthand for monetary collapse.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) depicted here is part of a wildlife series issued under the Darphane's commemorative program. Viable wild populations still exist in eastern Anatolia and along the Black Sea ranges.