The 1940 5 Lati is one of the more politically layered notes in Latvian numismatics. Bradbury, Wilkinson plates were used throughout, but the shift in signature titles tells the real story: series A through D bear "Finansu Ministrs," the title of the legitimate Latvian Finance Minister, while series D onward replace it with "Finansu Tautas Komisars" — People's Commissar of Finance — reflecting the Soviet occupation of June 1940 and the overnight restructuring of state authority.
Bastjanis appears across all series, suggesting he carried over from the Republic into the occupation apparatus. The changeover within series D itself makes date-of-issue attribution genuinely difficult.
The 1940 5 Lati is one of the more politically layered notes in Latvian numismatics. Bradbury, Wilkinson plates were used throughout, but the shift in signature titles tells the real story: series A through D bear "Finansu Ministrs," the title of the legitimate Latvian Finance Minister, while series D onward replace it with "Finansu Tautas Komisars" — People's Commissar of Finance — reflecting the Soviet occupation of June 1940 and the overnight restructuring of state authority.
Bastjanis appears across all series, suggesting he carried over from the Republic into the occupation apparatus. The changeover within series D itself makes date-of-issue attribution genuinely difficult.