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3 Lekë
| Issuer | Banka e Shtetit Shqiptar (State Bank of Albania) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1964-1976 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette shows a peasant woman in traditional dress balancing a large basket of fruit on her head, set against a background scene of agricultural workers harvesting in hilly terrain. To the right, a large guilloché numeral "3" cartouche serves as the principal denomination indicator. The denomination "TRE LEKË" is printed in bold letterpress across the lower centre, flanked by the red serial number repeated twice, with the date below to the right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANKA E SHTETIT SHQIPTAR Tre lekë LIGJA DËNON ATA QË FABRIKOJNË DHE NDAJNË BILETA TË FALLSIFIKUARA (Translation: State Bank of Albania / Three Lekë / The law punishes those who fabricate and distribute counterfeit banknotes) |
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| Comments |
Albania's banknotes of the 1964–1976 series were produced in China, a direct reflection of the peculiar diplomatic alignment that made Maoist China virtually Albania's only significant international partner after Tirana's rupture with Moscow in 1961 and the subsequent estrangement from Yugoslavia. The printing contract was part of broader Chinese material assistance to the Hoxha government, covering industrial equipment, military supplies, and — apparently — currency production.
The relationship collapsed acrimoniously after Mao's death and China's rapprochement with the West, with Albania formally denouncing Beijing in 1978. Notes from this series therefore mark a narrow and now-closed diplomatic window.