5 Centai Provisional

Lithuania's first banknote series was prepared in haste following the country's monetary separation from the German-occupied wartime economy. The 5 Centai was not purpose-designed — it was a provisional stamp applied over pre-printed stock, a stopgap while the permanent Litas series was still being arranged. The underlying notes were printed by the American Bank Note Company, and the provisional overprint allowed Lietuvos Bankas to circulate them before the full infrastructure for a sovereign currency was in place.

The Litas itself wasn't introduced until 1922–1925, making these early Centas-denominated pieces genuinely transitional instruments rather than a functioning retail currency.