The five hundred lei banknote is the highest of the circulating denomination of the Romanian leu. It is the same size as the 200 Euro banknote.

Five hundred lei
(Romania)
Value500 Romanian leu
Width153 mm
Height82 mm
Security featureswatermark, security thread, transparent window, microprinting, blacklight printing, micro perforations, latent writing, EURion constellation, colour-changing ink, ultraviolet ink, security thread, serial number
Material usedpolymer
Years of printingsince 2005
Obverse
DesignMihai Eminescu, Tilia, writing instruments (feather and ink cartridge)
DesignerNational Bank of Romania
Design date2005
Reverse
DesignUniversity of Iași Library, Timpul newspaper
DesignerNational Bank of Romania
Design date2005

The main color of the banknote is gray. It pictures, on the obverse poet Mihai Eminescu, and on the reverse the University of Iași Library, and the front page of the Timpul newspaper.

History

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In the past, the denomination was also in the coin form, as follows:

First leu (1867-1947)

  • banknote issues: 1877 (the hypothecary issue), 1916 (re-issues: 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920), 1924 (re-issue: 1925, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1938), 1934, 1936 (re-issues: 1939, 1940), 1940 (re-issues: 1941, 1942, 1943)
  • coin issues: 1941 (anniversary edition), 1944
  • banknote issue: 1944 (issued by the Red Army Comandament and circulated in 1944)
  • coin issues: 1945, 1946

Second leu (1947-1952)

  • banknote issues: 1947, 1949

Third leu - ROL (1952-2005)

  • banknote issues: 1991, 1992
  • coin issues: 1999 (re-issue: 2000), 2000 (anniversary edition)

Fourth leu - RON (since 2005)

  • banknote issue: 2005


  
Obverse Reverse
1922 to 1941 500 lei issue
  
Obverse Reverse
1991 500 lei issue
  
Obverse Reverse
1992 500 lei issue

References

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National Bank of Romania website Archived 2016-07-08 at the Wayback Machine