Pursuant to Law No. 101/1998-The NBR Act and Ordinance No. 45/1998 issued by the Government of Romania, as approved by Law No. 244/1998 on vesting the National Bank of Romania with the power to put into circulation numismatic coins made of precious metals, the National Bank of Romania shall issue starting 5 July 2004 a set of two silver coins with face value of ROL 500 in the series "Monuments of Feudal Christian Art".
Characteristics of the coins are the following:
- shape: ten-sided;
- metal: silver;
- fineness: 999/1000;
- quality: proof;
- weight: 31.103 grams;
- edge: smooth
- diameter of inscribed circle: 37 mm.
The obverse and the reverse of the two coins differ in what terms of design, heraldic elements and specific inscriptions as follows:
The church of the Cotroceni monastery
The obverse on the left side the year of issue "2004", Romania's coat-of-arms and the face value "500 LEI". The inscription "ROMANIA" is engraved vertically in the centre. The steeple of the church of the Cotroceni monastery is pictured on the right side.
The reverse shows the model of the Cotroceni monastery. The inscription "MONUMENTE DE ARTĂ FEUDALĂ CREŞTINĂ" is engrave semicircularly. The name of the worship place, "BISERICA MĂNĂSTIRII COTROCENI" is inscribed on two lines beneath the model. The years 1679 - 2004 celebrating 325 years from the erection of the building are placed semicircularly on the lower part.
The Sf. Trei Ierarhi church in Iaşi
The obverse features one of the bells with which prince Vasile Lupu endowed the church. Romania's coat-of-arms and the face value "500 LEI" are inscribed between two semicircles on the two sides of the bell. The inscription "ROMANIA" is engraved above the semicircle. The year of issue is engraved circularly on the lower side of the coin.
The reverse shows the model of the church Sf. Trei Ierarhi in Iaşi. The inscription "MONUMENTE DE ARTĂ FEUDALĂ CREŞTINĂ" is engrave semicircularly on the upper side. The name of the worship place, "SF. TREI IERARHI-IASI" is inscribed on two lines beneath the model. The years 1639 - 1904 - 2004 celebrating 365 years from the erection of the building and 100 years from the re-establishment of the church are engraved semicircularly on the lower part.
The silver coins in the series "Monuments of Feudal Christian Art", encapsulated in transparent plastic cases, are accompanied by an authentication certificate (in Romanian and English) bearing the signature of both Governor and Head Cashier, as well as by a prospectus.
The issue of 500 sets of coins is to be sold both on domestic and foreign markets at a price of ROL 1,470,000 per set including the cost of the capsules, authentication certificate and prospectus.
The coins may be sold in adequate cases, upon request. The cost of the case and the value added tax of 19 percent are not included in the above-mentioned price.
For numismatic purposes, the silver coins put into circulation by the National Bank of Romania may be purchased both by natural and legal persons. They may be held or exchanged by observing the provisions of Art. 2 of Ordinance No. 45/1998 issued by the Government of Romania, as approved by Law No. 244/1998.
The silver coins in the series "Monuments of Feudal Christian Art" are legal tender in Romania.
The design of this banknote is protected by registration with the State Office of Trademarks in Romania. Forgery or counterfeiting of these coins is an infringement of the law and shall be penalised accordingly.
The National Bank of Romania branchesin Bucharest, Cluj, Iaşi and Timişoara are in charge of putting the issue in the series "Monuments of Feudal Christian Art" into circulation for numismatic purposes.