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500 Lei State Bank
| Issuer | Banca de Stat a Republicii Populare Române |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette comprises an intaglio portrait group of the three Transylvanian peasant revolt leaders Cloșca (left), Horia (centre), and Crișan (right), set within an ornate scrollwork frame, with the state coat of arms in a circular medallion at the base. The bank title on a ribbon scroll runs across the upper portion, while the denomination numeral and text appear at right alongside two manuscript signatures above the date 15 OCTOMVRIE 1949. Designer's name S. ZAINEA is inscribed at lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | REPUBLICA POPULARA ROMANA 500 500 CINCI SUTE LEI FALSIFICATORII ACESTOR BILETE, ACEI CARI VOR FI INTREBUINTAT BILETE FALSE, COMPLICII LOR, PRECUM SI ACEI CARI VOR FI INCERCAT A COMITE ASEMENEA FAPTE, VOR FI PEDEPSITI CONFORM LEGILOR PENALE |
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| Comments |
The 1949 Romanian 500 Lei was issued in the immediate aftermath of the forced abdication of King Michael I and the proclamation of the People's Republic — the entire currency apparatus was being restructured to reflect the new political order. This note belongs to the first generation of banknotes issued under the Banca de Stat, which replaced the Banca Națională as part of the broader Sovietization of Romanian financial institutions.
Șerban Zainea's involvement is notable — he was one of the few Romanian designers to navigate the transition from royal to communist-era note production, adapting his work to the iconographic demands of the new regime.
The 1949 leu itself had a short lifespan; a monetary reform in January 1952 wiped out most circulating notes at punishing exchange ratios, making survivors of this issue genuinely uncommon.