500 Lei History of Gold - Treasure of Pietroasa - gold pitcher

The Treasure of Pietroasa — also called the "Hen and Chickens" hoard — was unearthed in 1837 near Buzău by two quarrymen who promptly began breaking the pieces apart to sell separately, destroying several items before authorities intervened. What survived are 12 Gothic goldwork pieces dating to the 4th or 5th century AD, now held at the National History Museum in Bucharest. The pitcher reproduced on this coin is among the most intact of those surviving objects.

Romania issued this piece as part of a broader "History of Gold" series documenting nationally significant gold artifacts — a program that leaned heavily on archaeological heritage at a moment when the post-communist state was actively constructing a public cultural identity.