Numismatics Channel's video: 1 Romanian Leu Banknote One Leu Romania: 2005 Obverse Reverse

1 Romanian Leu Banknote (One Leu Romania: 2005) Obverse & Reverse of Polymer Banknote. Un Leu - 1 L - Banca Naţională a României / 2005 Size: 120 x 62 [mm] (similar to the €5 banknote) Color: Green-Blue-Yellow Printing technology: offset on polymer Romania Banknotes: Pick-117 Obverse: Portrait of historian Nicolae Iorga (1871-1940); A Gentian flower (Gentiana asclepiadaea); The Coat of Arms of Romania; Name of the issuing bank; The BNR logo; Banknote denomination in digits and in words; Authorized signatures of the Governor and Chief Cashier. Reverse: Episcopal Cathedral of Curtea de Argeş Monastery; Ancient Wallachian Coat of Arms featuring an eagle holding a cross in its beak; Banknote denomination in digits and in words; Name of the issuing bank; The BNR logo in the upper right and lower left corners; Legal provisions against counterfeiting: Printing and circulation of forged banknotes are punishable under law; Serial number - printed in black ink, vertically, on the left side; printed in red ink, horizontally, on the right side. Date of issue: July 1st, 2005. Romanian Currency - Value 1 L Issued by: National Bank of Romania (Banca Naţională a României). printer: NBR Security features against counterfeiting: Transparent window, Shadow image ("watermark"), Security thread, Perfect register, Iridescent stripe, Microtext, UV print. Transparent window shape: Edited crusader eagle. Symbol: L RON ------------------------------------------------------------ In 2005, polymer notes were introduced for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 lei. 200 lei notes were added in 2006. The designs of the 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 lei notes are based on those of the earlier 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, 500,000 and 1 million lei notes which they replaced. The 10 lei note was redesigned in November 2008 (most of the graphic elements are identical, some of the safety elements were changed, making its safety features similar to the lower values of 1 leu and 5 lei notes). The highest value coin (in general circulation) is 50 Bani (around 15 US cents or nine GB Pence); the one Leu note/bill (there is no coin) has, therefore, a value of (approximately) 30 US cents, or around 23 Euro cents. The leu notes issued on 1 July 2005 are of equal size to euro banknotes, so that machines will need less refitting once Romania joins the euro zone. This decision was taken after a lot of debate, and with some opposition, the initial decision being to make them even smaller, similar to the 1966 series. The old leu notes were rather long and fairly uncomfortable to carry. The design of the notes follows some common guidelines: the obverse shows a flower native to Romania and the portrait of a Romanian cultural personality; the reverse shows a building or a well-known monument. All banknotes are printed on plastic polymer, each in its own color theme (light green for 1 leu, light purple for 5 lei, light pink and light orange for 10 lei, yellow for 50 lei, blue for 100 lei, dark orange for 200 lei, and light gray for 500 lei). On 14 November 2008 the National Bank of Romania announced the issue of a redesigned 10 lei banknote. The new design employs offset printing in favor of the intaglio printing used in the 2005 series. Also the transparent window will undergo a shape redesign. Each banknote also features a small transparent window, in the shape of a distinctive item characterising the activity of the pictured personality, a heraldic symbol for Nicolae Iorga, a music key for George Enescu, painting implements for Nicolae Grigorescu, an eagle for flying pioneer Aurel Vlaicu, theater masks for Ion Luca Caragiale, a pen point for Lucian Blaga and an hourglass symbolising poetry and time for Mihai Eminescu. Each banknote has a different texture, to be easily recognised in the pocket or by those with visual impairments. Note that the 500 lei banknotes see limited usage since they are not dispensed by automated teller machines.