Catalog
5 Centai
| Issuer | Lietuvos Bankas (Bank of Lithuania) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
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| Currency | Old litas (1922-1941) |
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| Obverse description | Blue on green guilloche underprint. A central oval vignette bears the Lithuanian coat of arms (Vytis), flanked by ornate numeral '5' cartouches set within elaborate scrollwork. The bank title 'LIETUVOS BANKAS' arches across the top margin, with the denomination 'PENKI CENTAI' on a curved banner below the vignette, the issue date 'KAUNAS, 1922 m. LAPKR. 16 d.' inscribed beneath, and series designation 'SERIJA D' together with two manuscript signatures at the lower portion. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | LIETUVOS BANKO BANKNOTAS 5 CENTAI 5 BANKNOTŲ PADIRBIMAS ĮSTATYMU BAUDŽIAMAS (Translation: Lithuanian Bank Banknote 5 Cents Counterfeiting of banknotes is punished by Law) |
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| Comments |
Lithuania's first independent currency series, the litas, was introduced in 1922 to replace the German ostmark and the short-lived talonas, both of which had been badly inflated. The Reichsdruckerei contract was a practical choice — the Berlin state printer had the capacity and speed Lithuania's new central bank needed — but commissioning a German firm to print the currency of a nation that had only recently shed German military occupation carried its own quiet irony.
The 5 centai is the lowest denomination of the series. At that level, notes rarely survived extended use, and circulated examples typically show significant wear.