Five bani
| Romania | |
| Value | 0.05 Romanian leu |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.78 g |
| Diameter | 18.25 mm |
| Thickness | 1.6 mm |
| Edge | Milled with 102 reeds |
| Composition | Copper plated steel |
| Years of minting | 1867, 1900, 1905-1906, 1952-1958, 1963-68, 1975, 2005-present |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | 'ROMANIA', Coat of arms, eight four-pointed stars, year of minting |
| Design date | 2004/2005 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design | 5 BANI |
| Design date | 2004/2005 |
The five bani coin is a coin of the Romanian leu. It is the second-lowest denomination of the present circulating coins, introduced to circulation on 1 July 2005,
The first five-bani coin was struck in 1867 by two different mints in Birmingham, England: Heaton and Watt & Co. The coin measured 25mm in diameter and weighed 5g. It was composed of 95% copper, 4% tin and 1% zinc. The obverse featured the name of the country and its coat of arms. The reverse featured the denomination within a laurel branch and oak branch. The denomination within the wreath read 5 BANI and 1867. Each mint struck 12.5 million of the coin. Watt & Co. used the mintmark WATT & C below the wreath while Heaton used one ofHEATON. The coins entered circulation on 1 January 1868.
A second five-bani coin was struck only in 1900, in Brussels, Belgium. It measured 19mm in diameter and weighed 3.5g. It was made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. Its obverse featured the crown of Romania above the date within a wreath of a laurel branch and oak branch. The reverse featured the denomination and name of the country. A total of 20 million were issued.
The third five-bani coin entered circulation in 1905 and also saw issue the following year. Although the same diameter and composition, it weighed 1g less (2.5g) due to a hole through the centre. On the obverse, the crown was placed above the hole and the name of the country was written on a scroll underneath. The reverse featured the denomination at the top, a rose on each side of the middle and the year at the bottom. The coins were designed by Anton Scharff, chief engraver at the Austrian Mint in Vienna. The 2 million coins of 1905 were minted exclusively at Brussels while in 1906 24 million from Hamburg, Germany supplemented 48 million from Brussels. The Hamburg-struck coins feature a 'J' mintmark below the scroll on the obverse while those of Brussels are without a mintmark.
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Wikipedia