25 Bani ROMANA, with star

Romania's postwar coinage was overhauled in 1952 following a brutal currency reform that wiped out private savings at punishing exchange rates — a deliberate move by the new communist government to destroy accumulated bourgeois wealth. The 1953–54 issues were among the first stable small denominations to circulate under the reorganized monetary system.

The star variety distinguishing KM#85.2 from its predecessor reflects a minor but catalogued die modification. These distinctions matter primarily to type collectors; the coins themselves saw heavy everyday use and are frequently found worn.