Proiectul necunoscut al unor monede românești din metal prețios din 1969
An unknown project from 1969 to strike romanian coins in precious metals

Summary/Abstract: Romania, unlike other communist countries, virtually, struck no coins in precious metals, neither as circulating or non-circulating legal tenders, during 1947-1989. The main reasons for such a situation should be found in the ideological and political aims of the Romanian Communist Party, which always tried to insure the State monopoly of the use and circulation of the precious metals and to limit, as much as possible, the private ownership of the common Romanian citizens of the gold, platinum and silver items, including the coins. In spite of this general trend of the Romanian monetary policy during 1947-1989, recent studies offer some information about few aborted experiences, trying to establish the coinage in precious metals, since 1964. Recently was published an unknown trial of a 100 lei coin, struck in silver, dated 1964. The coin weighting 20.80 g and having a diameter of 35 mm was struck in an 850‰ silver alloy. The coins was projected to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the coup d’État of 23rd August 1944, considered as the corner stone of the accession to the supreme power by the Romanian Communist Party. A second attempt to establish a silver coinage seems to happen in 1969. Recently, the authors had the opportunity to found an unknown plate in watercolours, representing the designs of five denominations, supposed to be struck in 1969, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the same coup d’État of 23rd August 1944. 1. 30 LEI Obv. 30/LEI?A XXV-A ANIVERSARE A ANIVERSĂRII ELIBERĂRII ROMÂNIEI?, in double line circle, in the middle the coat-of-arms of Socialist Republic of Romania. Rv. 1944 - 1969? MONUMENTUL EROILOR PATRIEI?, in double line circle, in the middle the reproduction of the Monuments of the Fatherland’s Heroes, representing an infantryman, an airman and a sailor. AR 25 mm 2. 50 LEI Obv. 50/LEI?A XXV-A ANIVERSARE A ANIVERSĂRII ELIBERĂRII ROMÂNIEI?, in double line circle, in the middle the coat-of-arms of Socialist Republic of Romania. Rv. The same as on the coin of 30 lei. AR 30 mm 3. 100 LEI Obv. 100/LEI?A XXV-A ANIVERSARE A ANIVERSĂRII ELIBERĂRII ROMÂNIEI?, in double line circle, in the middle the coat-of-arms of Socialist Republic of Romania, to left 1944, to right 1969. Rv. The same as on the coin of 500 lei. AR 41 mm 4. 300 LEI Obv. 300/LEI?A XXV-A ANIVERSARE A ANIVERSĂRII ELIBERĂRII ROMÂNIEI?, in double line circle, in the middle the coat-of-arms of Socialist Republic of Romania, to left 1944, to right 1969. Rv. The same as on the coin of 500 lei. AR 54 mm 5. 500 LEI Obv. 500/LEI?A XXV-A ANIVERSARE A ANIVERSĂRII ELIBERĂRII ROMÂNIEI?, in double line circle, in the middle the coat-of-arms of Socialist Republic of Romania, to left 1944, to right 1969. Rv. NICOLAE CEAUSESCU?PRESEDINTELE CONSILIULUI DE STAT?, in the middle the bust of Nicolae Ceauşescu, to left. AR 63 mm The projected silver issues of 1969 show a lot of unexplained peculiarities, such as: 1. The missing of the country’s name in the obverse legend, Socialist Republic of Romania, which was always present on the contemporary issues. 2. The use of two unusual denominations, such as 30 lei and 300 lei, in a strict centesimal monetary system as the Romanian one was. In the Romanian monetary system usually were issued coins or bills representing 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 monetary units or of its subdivisions. 3. The supposed parallel use of metallic coins and banknotes for the 50 and 100 lei denominations (though, the proposed 30 lei coin already has too a near counterpart, in the 25 lei banknote). 4. By the proposed 300 and 500 lei coins, was created an unprecedented situation in the modern Romanian monetary practice, where metallic coins were issued for the highest denominations in use, instead of banknotes. 5. The coins of 100, 300 and 500 lei were intended to bear the portraits of Nicolae Ceauşescu, the President of the State Council. In spite of lacking any direct evidences (which are so far hidden in the archives), some other metrological data about the proposed silver issues of 1969 could be reconstructed using the information provided by the recently publish trial of 100 lei, of 1964.

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