On December 1, 2024, the National Bank of Romania launched a new 100-leu, polymer, commemorative banknote honoring the 185th birth anniversary of King Carol I.
Carol I of Romania (1839-1914) was the monarch of Romania from 1866 until his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (Domnitor) from 1866 to 1881 and as King from 1881 to 1914. He was elected Prince of the Romanian United Principalities on April 20, 1866 after the overthrow of Alexandru Ioan Cuza by a palace coup d'état. In May 1877, Romania was proclaimed an independent and sovereign nation. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire (1878) in the Russo-Turkish War secured Romanian independence, and he was proclaimed King on March 26, 1881. He was the first ruler of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty, which ruled the country until the proclamation of a socialist republic in 1947.
The polymer banknote measures 147 x 82 mm and is predominantly blue in color. The banknote was printed in both offset and intaglio and contains a complex transparent window.
The front of the banknote features a portrait of King Carol I at right with the text "REGELE CAROL I 1839-1914" below it. At center is an image of the "Star of Romania" Order insignia and a battle scene from the War of Independence. The obverse also shows the coat of arms of Romania, the central bank name "BANCA NAțIONALĂ A ROMĀNIEI" (BNR) and the BNR logo. The nominal value is 100 lei. The signatures of the Governor and Central Treasurer are printed in the center above the face value in letters. The date of issuance (December 1, 2024) is printed vertically in the right margin.
Stylized geometric motifs are printed on the back of the banknote in muted colors. Images show representations of the Peleș statue of King Carol I, Peleș Castle and the Carol I bridge in Cernavodă.
Security features on the front of the banknote include:
- a complex, transparent, vertical window, containing the portrait of King Carol I, the word "ROMANIA", framed in a stylized representation of the Order of the "Crown of Romania" insignia;
at top, the crown of Romania fluoresces in silver and red under UV light.
- inside the transparent window at top and bottom, graphic elements are made of optically variable ink (changing between blue and green, when tilted).
- gold metallized ink items encircle the central area of the complex transparent window.
- intaglio print of the portrait, signature, name and years of life of King Carol I, the insignia of the Order of the "Star of Romania", the coat of arms of Romania, the name of the central bank "BANCA NAțIONALĂ A ROMĀNIEI", the medallion with the BNR logo and text.
- laser microperforations within the nominal value "100" located in the central area, in a vertical direction, visible on both sides of the banknote.
- Anti-scanner and anti-copy lines in the areas at left and right.
Similar security features are included on the reverse of the banknote.
This commemorative collector's banknote is included in a presentation folder with text written in Romanian, English and French. A total of 30,000 banknotes has been produced. The price of the banknote in folder is 150 lei (plus VAT). The banknote is legal tender.
The banknote can be purchased at the Bucharest, Cluj, Constanța, Dolj, Iaşi and Timiş regional branches of the BNR.
