Catalog
500 000 Lei
| Issuer | Banca Nationala a Romaniei |
|---|---|
| Year | 2000-2004 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Portrait vignette of aviation pioneer Aurel Vlaicu at right, rendered in intaglio against a multicolour guilloche underprint. A large edelweiss flower appears at centre-left, with the BNR monogram watermark device visible in the background. Denomination numerals and the issuing authority inscription are arranged along the upper and lower margins. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Transparent window, Serial number |
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| Comments |
Romania's shift to polymer banknotes in the late 1990s and early 2000s was partly a practical response to chronic hyperinflation — high-denomination notes needed to survive heavier-than-normal circulation because they were used constantly, not saved. The 500,000 Lei sits near the top of that inflationary arc; by the time this series was being issued, one US dollar fetched roughly 25,000–30,000 Lei, making half a million a mundane transaction amount rather than a significant sum.
Romania redenominated in July 2005, replacing 10,000 old Lei with 1 new Leu, which effectively rendered this entire series obsolete within a year of the print run closing.