Lithuania.

Hello, my friends.
I want to show you a several unusual (for American numismatists) coins today.
Why these coins are unusual? Because these coins minted in Lithuania beetwen the WW I & WW II.
Lithuania is a small Baltic state (65201 sq.km) beetwen the Russia, Poland, Latvia and Belarus.
This country got an independence in 1918 and lost it in 1940. Since 1991 Lithuania - independent state.
Old Lithuanian coin are rather rare in USA, I think.

 

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Lithuanian monetary system was very simple: 100 centas = 1 litas.
This is - 20 centas 1925, aluminium-bronze, weight - 4 g., mintage - 8000000.

 

1 litas 1925, silver .500, weight - 2,7 g., mintage - 5985000.

 

2 litu 1925, silver .500, 5,4 g., mintage - 3000000.

 

5 litai 1925, silver .500, weight - 13,5 g., mintage - 1000000.

 

5 litai 1936, silver .750, weight - 9 g., mintage - 2612000. "Dr. Jonas Basanavicius".

 

10 litu 1936, silver .750, weight - 18 g., mintage - 720000. "Grand Duc Vytautas the Great".

 

10 litu 1938, silver .750, weight - 18 g., mintage -170000. "President Smetona. 20th Anniversary of Independence".".

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That is all.

 

I have a special connection to Lithuania - my great grandparents on my mother's side were immigrants from Lithuania. When I saw this coin at a show, I just had to pick it up for $10:

 

The first president of post-Soviet Lithuania died the other day. Sad.

 

10 centu 1925, aluminium-bronze, weight - 3 g., size - 21 mm, thickness - 1,34 mm, mintage - 12000000 pcs. The single release only.

 

1 centas 1936, bronze, weight - 2 g., size - 16,6 mm, thickness - 1,3 mm, mintage - 9995000 pcs. The single release only.

5 centai 1936, bronze, weight - 2,5 g., size - 20 mm, thickness - 1,35 mm, mintage - 4800000 pcs. The single release only.

 

Side note: Lithuania has just been admitted into the euro area, and will issue new coins as from 1 January 2015. They will - on all eight denominations - feature Vytis (White Knight, Chaser) just like your coins. Only the background pattern will be a little different.

Christian

 

Grand duchy of Lithuania.
Polgrosz (1/2 of grosz) 1561, silver, weight - 1,22/1,25 g., size - 20 mm. Coins of this type were released at 1546-1561. Ruler: Zygmunt II August (1548-1572).

 

Modern coins of Lithuania:

 

Those are not legal tender any more (Lithuania uses the euro these days) but I like those decorative elements on the reverse, around the value digit. The knight (vytis) also appears on the euro and cent coins from LT ...

Christian

 

Currently, circulation euro coins in eight denominations are used (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, 1 and 2 euro). Circulation coins have a common European side and a unique national side.

On the common side of the 5, 2, and 1 cent euro coins, Europe is depicted on the globe together with Africa and Asia.

The designs of the common side for the 2 and 1 euro, 50, 20 and 10 cent coins are of two variations: the first version depicts the European Union (EU) prior to its expansion on 1 May 2004, while the second — a geographical depiction of Europe (as of 1 December 2007). The national side helps recognise the country that issued the euro. Each country’s euro’s national side uses elements characteristic of the country, and is surrounded by the 12 EU stars. Although one (national) side may be different, all euro coins are legal tender in the whole euro area. The euro coins issued by Lithuania depict the symbol of Vytis from our state’s coat of arms.

There may be some 2 euro coins with an unusual national side, and it likely that they are commemorative coins. 2 euro commemorative coins are dedicated only to the commemoration of important national and European things.

Coins in the large denominations — 1 and 2 euro — are dual-coloured (silver and gold coloured). Medium-denomination coins — 10, 20 and 50 cent — are gold-coloured, while the small-denomination coins — 1, 2, and 5 cent — are copper coloured.
Coins in circulation

2 euro 1 euro


50 euro cent 20 euro cent 10 euro cent

5 euro cent 2 euro cent 1 euro cent

 

Grand duchy of Lithuania.
Polgrosz (1/2 of grosz) 1513, silver, weight - 1,29/1,3 g., size - 20 mm. Coins of this type were released at 1509-1529. Ruler: Zygmunt I the Old (1506-1548).

 

5 centai 1925, aluminium-bronze, weight - 2,1 g., size - 19 mm, thickness - 1,08 mm, mintage - 12000000 pcs. Single release.