500 000 Lei

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.