1 Leu

Moldova's 1992 coinage was issued in the immediate aftermath of independence from the Soviet Union, declared in August 1991. The leu — reviving a currency name shared with Romania — was introduced in November 1993, which makes this 1992-dated aluminum piece part of the transitional preparatory coinage struck before the leu officially entered circulation. The aluminum composition reflects both the economic constraints of a newly independent state and the low purchasing power expected of the smallest denominations.