5000 Lei

Romania's wartime finances were under severe strain by 1943, with occupation costs and military expenditure driving inflation that made high-denomination notes a practical necessity rather than a prestige issue. The 5000 Lei entered circulation during a period when the leu was losing purchasing power rapidly — by the end of the war, notes of far greater face value would follow in quick succession.

Printed by the Romanian State Printing Works, P#55 was issued across two calendar years, suggesting production ran continuously to meet demand. Notes dated 1944 are generally harder to locate in better grades, consistent with the chaotic final months before the communist-era monetary reforms dismantled the old currency structure entirely.