Banca Naţională a României

Numismatic issues launched to mark the polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881

Request form: Reservation request form for the a polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881 (Romanian only)

Should a numismatic issue fall short of the banknotes intended for online reservation, please be informed that items may be purchased directly from the counters of the NBR’s regional branches, without reservation, starting December 1.

Pursuant to the provisions of Law No. 312/2004 on the Statute of the National Bank of Romania, as of 1 December 2021, the National Bank of Romania will put into circulation, for numismatic purposes, a polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881.

The banknote has the following specifications:

• size: 168 x 96 mm, with ±1 mm tolerance;
• predominant colour: cobalt blue; and
• flat printing on polymer substrate.

Obverse
Reverse

Obverse: the following representative graphical elements: two transparent windows, one showing the face value of the replica “20” on the left and the other depicting the portrait of Emperor Trajan wearing a laurel wreath, facing left. Below the two transparent windows are two elevated altars bearing the inscription “ROMANIA” framed within a rectangular cartouche. In the centre there is a curved cartouche with the inscription “BANCA NATIONALE A ROMANIEI”, and below the following are printed: the serial number, the date of issue “19 Ianuariu 1881.”, the face value “DOUE DIECI LEI” and the signatures of the Governor, the Director and the Chief Cashier.

The obverse also shows: a cartouche framing the face value “20”, with a young man embodying industry to the left and, to the right, another young man embodying trade, both leaning against the cartouche, the control number and the year of entering circulation for numismatic purposes “2021”, printed in black ink and same-size fonts.

On the reverse of the replica, the graphic design comprises decorative elements. The central area features a medallion with the portrait of Emperor Trajan wearing a laurel wreath; circularly, the text of the penalties and, in the lower part, the face value of the note “DOUE DIECI LEI”. Above the medallion is the face value of the note “DOUE DIECI LEI” and, below, a rectangular cartouche with the inscription “ROMANIA”. To the right and left of the central medallion are two medallions with decorated frames encircling the transparent windows. Below each of the side medallions is one cartouche inscribed with the face value “20”.

To protect against forgery, the polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881 includes the following security features:

• two complex transparent windows, as follows: to the left of the obverse, a window showing the face value of the replica “20” and, to the right of the obverse, a window depicting the effigy of Emperor Trajan wearing a laurel wreath, facing left;
• the face value of the replica “20” in the transparent window to the left of the obverse and the portrait of the emperor in the transparent window to the right of the obverse are created using the multi-tone technique with two-colour luminescence, sepia and green, visible only under UV light;
• the years “1881-2021” printed in the centre, on the obverse, with white luminescence, visible only under UV light;
• the NBR logo, below the transparent windows, on the obverse, printed with red luminescence, visible only under UV light;
• the eight-digit serial number printed in the centre, on the obverse, below the name of the central bank, in black ink, with green luminescence, visible only under UV light; and
• the four-digit control number printed in black ink, placed in the top left and bottom right corners, identical in sequence, with green luminescence, visible only under UV light.

This numismatic issue has 30,000 banknotes.

The polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881 will be accompanied by a presentation leaflet available in Romanian, English and French.

The selling price of the polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881 is lei 100.00, VAT excluded, including the presentation leaflet.

The polymer replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881 will be put into circulation, for numismatic purposes, through the regional branches of the National Bank of Romania in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Craiova, Iaşi and Timişoara.

Information on how to purchase the replica of the first lei 20 banknote issued by the National Bank of Romania in 1881 can be found on the National Bank of Romania’s website, in the Numismatics section.