Since 1867 there have been four successive currencies in Romania known as the leu (plural lei). This article details the banknotes denominated in the leu and its subdivision the ban since 1917, with images.
Banknotes of the first leu (ROL)
1877 issue
1877 Bilet Hypothecar Series
Image
Value
Dimensions
Main Colour
Description
Date of
Obverse
Reverse
Obverse
Reverse
printing
issue
withdrawal
5 L
Blue
1877
12 June 1877
June 1889 [1]
10 L
20 L
50 L
100 L
500 L
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.
1909–1916 issue
1909–1916 Series
Image
Value
Dimensions
Main Colour
Description
Date of
Obverse
Reverse
Obverse
Reverse
printing
issue
1 L
2 L
5 L
20 L
100 L
500 L
1000 L
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.
German occupation WWI issue
1917 German Occupation Series
Image
Value
Dimensions
Main Colour
Description
Date of
Obverse
Reverse
Obverse
Reverse
printing
issue
withdrawal
25 b
1917
1917
50 b
1 L
2 L
5 L
20 L
100 L
1000 L
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.
A 500 lei coin and the 2,000 lei note shown above were made in order to celebrate the 1999 total solar eclipse. Whereas the 500 lei coin is currently very rare, becoming a prized collector's item, the 2,000 lei note was quite popular, being taken out of circulation in 2004 (a long time after the 1,000 and 5,000 lei bills were replaced by coins).
Banknotes of the fourth leu (RON)
The leu notes issued on 1 July 2005 are of equal size to euro banknotes, so that machines will need less refitting once Romania joins the euro zone. This decision was taken after a lot of debate, and with some opposition, the initial decision being to make them even smaller, similar to the 1966 series. The old leu notes were rather long and fairly uncomfortable to carry.
The design of the notes follows some common guidelines: the obverse shows a flower native to Romania and the portrait of a Romanian cultural personality; the reverse shows a building or a well-known monument. All banknotes are printed on plastic polymer, each in its own colour theme (light green for 1 leu, light purple for 5 lei, light pink and light orange for 10 lei, yellow for 50 lei, blue for 100 lei, dark orange for 200 lei, and light gray for 500 lei). On 14 November 2008 the National Bank of Romania announced the issue of a redesigned 10 lei banknote. The new design employs offset printing in favor of the intaglio printing used in the 2005 series. Also the transparent window will undergo a shape redesign.[2]
Each banknote also features a small transparent window, in the shape of a distinctive item characterising the activity of the pictured personality, a heraldic symbol for Nicolae Iorga, a music key for George Enescu, painting implements for Nicolae Grigorescu, an eagle for flying pioneer Aurel Vlaicu, theater masks for Ion Luca Caragiale, a pen point for Lucian Blaga and an hourglass symbolising poetry and time for Mihai Eminescu. Each banknote has a different texture, to be easily recognised in the pocket or by those with visual impairments.
Note that the 500 lei banknotes see limited usage since they are not dispensed by automated teller machines.
On 21 December 2017, the National Bank of Romania announced that beginning with 1 January 2018, all the banknotes and coins will feature the new version of the coat of arms. All other features (portraits, security etc.) remain unchanged.[3] The banknotes will feature the date of issue 1 January 2018, and will be released as demanded. The 1 July 2005, 1 December 2006, and 1 December 2008 issues will continue to be legal tender and circulate in parallel with the revised banknotes.
On 31 July 2019, the National Bank of Romania announced that it planned to issue the 20 lei banknote, which will feature Ecaterina Teodoroiu, in 2020.[4] In November 2021 the National Bank of Romania announced that the 20 lei banknote bearing Ecaterina Teodoroiu's portrait would be issued on 1 December 2021.[5][6]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banknotes of Romania.
^Etimologie Numismatica Originea Numelor Monedelor Nationale Archived 2018-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
^BNR press release
^"BNR press release". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
^"BNR va lansa în circulație bancnota de 20 de lei, pe care va apărea Ecaterina Teodoroiu". Digi24 (in Romanian). 31 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
^"Bancnota de 20 de lei cu chipul Ecaterinei Teodoroiu va fi lansată în circulație începând cu 1 decembrie 2021". G4Media (in Romanian). 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
^"BNR a prezentat în premieră noua bancnotă de 20 de lei, prima cu chipul unei femei". digi24.ro (in Romanian). 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
^"Bancnotă aniversară pentru colecționare dedicată împlinirii a 100 de ani de la Marea Unire de la 1 Decembrie 1918". BNR press release (in Romanian). 29 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
^"Emisiuni numismatice având ca teme (1) Istoria aurului – moneda de 50 lei cu milesimul 1922 și (2) Desăvârșirea Marii Uniri – Ion I.C. Brătianu.". BNR press release (in Romanian). 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
^"Act legislativ". BNR memo (in Romanian). 19 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
The National Bank of Romania
Issue of the coins and banknotes with the new coat of arms
bancnoteleromanesti.go.ro – All Romanian banknotes from beginning to present.