| The Very Highest Quality Romanian Coins... |
| Romanian Coins |
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Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a Communist "peoples republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. Ceaucescu was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996, when they were swept from power by a fractious coalition of centrist parties. Currently, the Social Democratic Party forms a nominally minority government, which governs with the support of the opposition Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania. Bucharest must address rampant corruption, while invigorating lagging economic and democratic reforms, before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the European Union.The 500 Lei of 1944 originates from a turbulent time in Romania's history. The Soviet Red Army occupied Bucharest in August 1944, after Romania had changed from supporting the German side to the Allied side during the war. Romania was forced to pay extortionate reparations to Russia. It was already in a period of high inflation, which was not helped by the payments to Russia. By 1946, a similar size silver coin was tariffed at 250,000 lei, indicating a collapse in the value of the currency by a ratio of 50:1 in just 2 years.
Descriptions
It seems perverse that the portrait of King Michael faces left on the coins of 1944 when he was aligned with the right wing Nazi Germany, and to the right after he had realigned with the Russian communists. Both coins have the inscription MIHAL I REGELE ROMANILLOR, and the engravers name H IONESCU is below the neck. On the 1946 coin the date is below the head.
The reverse side of the 1944 coin has a large crowned shield with the Romanian coat of arms, and the inscriptions ROMANIA 19 44 500 LEI. The 1946 coin ha a much smaller crowned shield to the left, and the large inscription ROMANIA 25000 LEI, with a laurel wreath at the bottom and right.
These coins would make a nice pair in a collection of Romanian or world coins.
Specifications
| Denomination | Diameter | Weight | Alloy | Silver Content |
| 500 Lei | 32 | 12.00 | .700 | .2701 |
| 25,000 Lei | 32 | 12.50 | .700 | .2813 |
| 100,000 Lei | 36.6 | 25.0000 | .700 | .5626 |
Prices & Availability
| Date | Denomination | Description | Mintage | Stock | Grade | Price £ | Price $ |
| 1944 | 500 Lei | King Michael facing left | 9,731,000 | Yes | Uncirculated | £9 | $14 |
| 1944 | 500 Lei | King Michael facing left | 9,731,000 | Yes | EF | £5 | $9 |
| 1946 | 25,000 Lei | King Michael facing right | 2,372,000 | Yes | Uncirculated | £10 | $18 |
| 1946 | 25,000 Lei | King Michael facing right | 2,372,000 | Yes | EF | £7 | $12 |
| 1946 | 10,000 Lei | King Michael facing right | 2,0022,000 | Yes | Uncirculated | £14 | $25 |
| 1946 | 10,000 Lei | King Michael facing right | 2,0022,000 | Yes | EF | £9 | $16 |
| 1 of each (3 coins) | Yes | Uncirculated | £30 | $54 | |||
| 1 of each (3 coins) | Yes | EF | £20 | $36 |
Romanian Coin Sets
We have listed these on their own page.
Romanian Gold Coins
We have Romanian Gold Coins on our Tax Free Gold website.
Postage & Packing:
UK: At buyer's Risk £3.50 or
Fully Insured £9 (Usually by Royal Mail Special Delivery)
USA: Airmail at buyer's risk $10 or
Fully Insured $20
For further details, please see our Postage & Packing page.
Order Form - UK
Order Form - USA
Order Form - EU
Order Form - Rest of World
If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?
Coins Wanted
We make an active market in almost all world coins, gold or otherwise, including Romanian coins. If you have any of these coins to sell, please contact us, or post them to us for appraisal and offer.
| ...at the Lowest Possible Price |
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32 - 36 Harrowside, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 1RJ, England. Telephone (44) - (0) 1253 - 343081 ; Fax 408058; E-mail: The URL for our main page is: https://24carat.co.uk | Chard(1964) Ltd |