Currency Wiki
Register
Advertisement
200 lei
General information
Country

Flag of Moldova Moldova

Value

200.00 lei

Years
Measurements and composition
Mass
  • 24.9 g (2009)
  • 15.5 g (2013)
Diameter
  • 37 mm (2009)
  • 40 × 28 mm (2013)
Composition

gold

Appearance
Shape
  • round (2009)
  • rectangular (2013)
Alignment

medallic

Obverse

Coat of arms of Moldova, state title, value, year

Reverse
v · d · e

The 200 leu coin is a commemorative coin of the Republic of Moldova. It was first introduced in 2009, on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the establishment of the Principality of Moldavia, an early precursor to present-day Moldova. A 2013 piece was subsequently produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the Moldovan leu in 1993. While both pieces hold the status of legal tender, having values equivalent to 200.00 lei, they are intended primarily for collectors and are not generally found in circulation.

Coins[]

Founding of Moldavia coin (2009)[]

200 lei Moldova 2009

The 2009 coin

Voivode Bogdan I (–1367) is credited for founding the Principality of Moldavia, having reportedly freed the area east of the Carpathian Mountains from the Hungarians and Tatars in 1359. Six hundred fifty years later, in 2009, the National Bank of Moldova (BNM) would come to commemorate such an event on Moldova's first 200 leu coin, as well as on related 20, 50, and 100 leu pieces. Such a coin was commissioned to be struck at the Czech Mint in Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic. It is composed of .999 fine gold, and has a mass of approximately 24.9 grams and a diameter of 37 millimeters. The piece has a reeded edge and medallic alignment, and like most coins, is round in shape.

Featured at the top center of the obverse is the coat of arms of Moldova – which consists of an eagle with a shield on its breast containing the head of an aurochs (†Bos taurus primigenius), an eight-pointed star representing the sun, a five-petaled flower, and a crescent moon. In the dexter talon of the eagle is an olive branch, in the sinister is a scepter, and in its mouth is an Orthodox cross. Printed at the top of the coin is the year "2009" flanked on either side by two lozenges. The Romanian state title of Moldova, "REPUBLICA MOLDOVA" (English: "Republic of Moldova"), is printed along the peripheries of the coin, the first word separated from the last by the year of minting at the top. A horizontal line is present near the center of the coin, and below it the value "200 LEI" is printed on two separate lines, the numeral being significantly larger in size than the word "LEI".

Depicted in the center of the reverse is an image of the Soroca Fortress, a historic fort built in 1499 by Moldavian Prince Stephen III "The Great" (1433–1504). In the area in front of the building, the Dniester River is visible, and behind the fortress, in the background, are the five-petaled flower, eight-pointed star, and crescent moon featured on the arms of Moldova. This entire illustration is surrounded by a medieval-style decorative border surmounted by a five-tipped crown. The word "MOLDOVA" is printed directly below the image, and underneath that is a ribbon bearing the Romanian text "650 ANI" (English: "650 years"), the number being twice as large as the word and both words curved along the bottom of the ribbon.

A total of only 1000 examples of this coin were produced, all in proof quality. The piece is currently not listed in Krause's Standard Catalog of World Coins.

Anniversary of the leu coin (2013)[]

Moldova 200 lei 2013

The 2013 coin

The leu was established as the national currency of the Republic of Moldova in 1993, after replacing the short-lived cupon currency. In 2013, the National Bank of Moldova issued two coins, 100 and 200 leu pieces, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the inception of the Moldovan leu. Both commemoratives are rectangular in shape, being the first non-circular coins ever produced for Moldova. The 200 leu coin is composed of .999 fine gold, weighs approximately 15.5 grams, and measures 40 millimeters in width by 28 millimeters in height. It uses medallic alignment and has a reeded edge.

The coat of arms of Moldova is featured at the left center of the coin's obverse, and to the right of it is a slanted ornamental column that extends from the bottom to the top of the piece. The Romanian state title of Moldova, "REPUBLICA MOLDOVA", is printed along the rim of the coin, the word "REPUBLICA" engraved at the upper left corner, above the coat of arms, and the name "MOLDOVA" inscribed at the lower right, beyond the ornamental column. Written above "MOLDOVA", at the far right side of the obverse, is the value "200 LEI", the numeral and the word printed on two separate lines and the former being relatively larger than the latter. The date of minting, "2013", is printed at the upper right corner of the piece, and next to it is the stylized "BNM" logo of the National Bank of Moldova.

Depicted at the left side of the reverse is an image of Prince Stephen III of Moldavia, donning his crown and regal clothing and facing ¾ right. Such an illustration of the former Moldavian monarch is nearly identical in appearance to that used on the banknotes of the Moldovan leu printed since 1994. As on the obverse, a decorative column, albeit different in pattern and not fully extending from the bottom to the top of the coin, is featured to the right of the likeness of Stephen. Superimposing the bottom of the ornamental element is a victory symbol, another object that has been included on Moldovan paper money since 1994. Such a symbol, bearing a circular border, consists of the letter "V" for victorie (Romanian for "victory") in its center with a depiction of the sun above. Inscribed inside the boundary at the edge, starting at the left and wrapping around the circle completely, is "PE-UN PICIOR DE PLAI, PE-O GURĂ DE RAI..." (English: "Near a low foothill, at Heaven's doorsill"), the first two lines of the Miorița of Wallachian poet Vasile Alecsandri (1821–1890). Printed at the top of the coin is the Romanian name of the National Bank of Moldova, "BANCA NAŢIONALĂ A MOLDOVEI". To the right of the column is the text "20 de ani de la introducerea monedei naţionale in Republica Moldova", which translates to English as "20 years since the introduction of the national currency in the Republic of Moldova". It is right-aligned and separated onto seven lines.

Only 1000 examples of this coin were produced, all in proof quality. The 2013 200 leu coin is not currently listed in the Standard Catalog of World Coins.

References[]

 v · d · e
Coat of arms of Moldova Moldovan leu
Banknotes 1 L5 L10 L20 L50 L100 L200 L500 L1000 L
Coins 1 b5 b10 b25 b50 b1 L2 L5 L10 L20 L50 L100 L200 L1,000 L
Miscellaneous National Bank of MoldovaTransnistrian ruble
Advertisement