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500 Lei
| Issuer | Banca Națională a României |
|---|---|
| Year | 1934 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-engraved portrait vignette of King Carol II in military uniform with decorations, positioned at left within an arched frame over a multicolour guilloche underprint in orange and blue. The Romanian royal coat of arms appears at centre top, with the denomination numeral 500 in bold at each lower corner. Two handwritten signatures appear below the date, attributed to the Governor and the Chief Cashier respectively, with their titles printed above in letterpress. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Watermark visible when held to light, incorporated into the paper stock. |
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| Comments |
Romania's interwar period placed enormous strain on the BNR's ability to maintain confidence in the leu, and the 500 Lei series of the early 1930s was partly a response to currency reforms following the catastrophic hyperinflation of the 1920s — the leu had lost roughly 97% of its prewar value by the time stabilization was achieved in 1929. Commissioning Bradbury Wilkinson, then at the peak of their intaglio security printing work, was a deliberate signal of institutional credibility.
Bradbury Wilkinson's New Malden facility produced banknotes for dozens of governments during this period, and Romanian commissions were not unusual for them. The watermark remains the primary security feature — no fibers, metallic thread, or overprint.