Fifty bani
| Romania | |
| Value | 0.50 Romanian leu |
|---|---|
| Mass | 6.1 g |
| Diameter | 23.75 mm |
| Thickness | 1.9 mm |
| Edge | Plain, inscribed ROMANIA * ROMANIA * |
| Composition | Copper 80%, Zinc 15%, Nickel 5% |
| Years of minting | 1873, 1876, 1881, 1884-1885, 1894, 1900-1901, 1910-1912, 1914, 1921, 1955-56, 2005-present |
| Obverse | |
| Design | 'ROMANIA', value, Coat of arms |
| Design date | 2012 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Neagoe Basarab, Curtea de Argeș Cathedral |
| Design date | 2012 |
The fifty-bani coin is a coin of the Romanian leu. It is the largest-denomination coin in current circulation, and also the thickest, widest and heaviest. The fifty-bani is also the only coin of Romania to not be steel-based, but be made completely of an alloy, and is also the only current coin in the country to have a written inscription on its edge.
In addition to Romania, the coin has been minted in the United Kingdom (1867), Belgium (1894, 1910–1912 and 1914), Germany (1900–1901, 1910–1911 and 1914), Switzerland (1921), Hungary (1947), and Russia (1952).
A fifty-bani coin was not included in Romania's first set of decimal coins, minted in 1867 in Birmingham, England. The denomination was introduced in 1873 as a coin of 18mm diameter and weighing 2.5g. It was 83.5% silver and 16.5% copper. The obverse featured the Romanian crown and the date underneath, within a wreath of laurel and oak branches. Below the wreath was the name STERN of the engraver, and at the top of the coin was the mintmark of the mint in Brussels, Belgium, where it was struck. The mintmark was the portrait of Brussels' patron saint, Saint Michael. The reverse had the name of the country and the denomination within a smaller wreath of the same appearance. In 1873 4.81 million of the coin were issued. The only other year of mintage was 1876 with 2,116,980 from the same mint. The coin was known in the Romanian region of Moldavia (now the nation of Moldova) as a Dutcă, after silver coins of Poland and Russia which circulated in Romania. In the region of Walachia, it was known as a băncutjă.
The second fifty-bani was the first to feature a Romanian monarch. It was struck only in 1881 and to the same specifications as the first version. The obverse featured a portrait of Carol I of Romania facing left. His inscription was CAROL I DOMNUL ROMANIEI (Carol I Prince of the Romanians) and the engraver's surname, Kullrich, was written below. The reverse featured the Romanian coat of arms, with the date split on each side. The country's name was above the arms and the denomination below. Below the coat of arms on the left was a 'V' mintmark of Vienna, Austria where all of the 1,000,000 coins were minted. Below on the right was a grain of wheat, representing Bucharest's mint.
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Wikipedia