Lithuania Euro Coins

Slightly delayed compared to other countries in the European Union, Lithuania eventually adopted the single European currency: the Euro.

Before this, several currencies had been used. Before 1922, the Ostmark was commonly used in Lithuania, a currency issued by the German occupying forces during World War I.

On October 2, 1922, however, the Litas was introduced, with a value of 10 litas = 1 US dollar, divided into 100 Centas. Over the years, the litas has always been a fairly strong currency, and in 1938 the following exchange rate was reached: 1 dollar = 5.9 litas.

In April 1941, however, with the annexation of Lithuania to the Soviet Union, the Litas was completely replaced by the Soviet Ruble. The exchange rate was equivalent to 1 litas = 0.9 rubles.

Second Introduction of the Litas

In 1993, there was a second introduction of the Litas. Even before this year, there were already thoughts about introducing the Litas, which would “accompany” the Ruble even if Lithuania did not become independent and remained under Soviet control.

In fact, in 1989, several artists were asked to present designs for the new coins, and discussions began about which historical figures to feature on the faces of the various coins.

On March 1, 1990, the Bank of Lithuania was founded, and ten days later, the State declared its independence.

As mentioned, on June 25, 1993, the Litas was officially introduced, with an exchange rate equivalent to 1 US dollar = 4.5 litas, which decreased to 4.2 litas within a couple of weeks.

The Arrival of the Euro

Starting from February 2, 2002, the litas was pegged to the Euro at an exchange rate of 3.45280 litas = 1 Eur. Although Lithuania effectively became a member of the Eurozone, the Litas and the Euro continued to coexist.

On June 4, 2004, it was announced that starting from January 1, 2015, the Euro would replace the litas.
The Lithuanian litas has been officially out of circulation since January 15, 2015.

After this necessary introduction regarding the history of numismatics in Lithuania and the introduction of the Euro, we begin our journey to discover the various coins that characterize this State.

We will explore together the technical and non-technical characteristics of each individual Euro coin from Lithuania.

The first coin we will analyze is naturally the 1 Euro cent. This was designed by Antanas Zukauskas.

On the Obverse, the coin features the knight Vytis, a historical national hero symbolizing the Baltic state and also present on the Lithuanian national coat of arms. At the top, next to the sword, is the year of minting, while at the bottom is the symbol of the Vilnius Mint LMK.
Next to it is the inscription LIETUVA, which means Lithuania. The entire design is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

On the Reverse, the coin presents the same face as other 1 cent European coins, depicting Europe.

Now let's move on to the technical specifications:

Now let's move on to the next coin, the 2 Euro cents of Lithuania. Once again, the author is Antanas Zukauskas.

On the Obverse, the white knight Vytis is depicted, perfectly centered on the coin. This figure is the symbol of the Baltic state and is also present in the national coat of arms of Lithuania.
At the top right, the year of minting is indicated, while at the bottom is the inscription LIETUVA, which means Lithuania. Next to it, precisely on the left, is the symbol of the Vilnius Mint, LMK.
All of this is surrounded by the 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same representation of Europe found on all 2 Euro cent coins of European states.

Now let's take a look at the technical specifications.

We arrive at the 5 Euro Cents Lithuania coin. The same author is mentioned for this coin, namely Antanas Zukauskas.

On the Obverse, the coin features the depiction of the knight Vytis on his horse with the shield drawn and the sword raised. To the right, next to the sword, the year of minting is engraved, while at the bottom of the coin, directly under the horse, the inscription LIETUVA is present, which means LITHUANIA.
On the left, the symbol of the State Mint LMK (Lietuvos Monety Kalykla) is indicated. The edge of the entire coin is adorned with the 12 five-pointed stars symbolizing the member states of the European Union.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same design as the other 5 Euro cent coins in Europe, depicting Europe in the world.

Let's move on to the technical specifications:

We have arrived at the 10 Cents of Lithuania. Once again, the author is Antanas Zukauskas.

On the obverse, the coin features the knight Vytis positioned at the center, mounted on his horse with his sword drawn. This is the symbol of the Baltic state and is also present on the national coat of arms of Lithuania.
To the right near the sword is the year of minting, while at the bottom of the coin is the mint mark LMK and the inscription LIETUVA, which means LITHUANIA.
The edge is characterized by 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

On the reverse, the coin presents the same face as the other 10 Cents coins from European States, depicting Europe itself. Unlike many other states, this one features a single series.

Now let's look at the technical specifications:

We arrive at the coin of 20 Euro Cents from Lithuania. Once again, the author is Antanas Zukauskas.

On the Obverse, the coin features the representation of the knight Vytis, the symbol of the Baltic state and also present on the national coat of arms of Lithuania. Immediately to the right, next to the sword, is the year of minting.
Below the knight's horse is the inscription LIETUVA, which means LITHUANIA, and to the left is the symbol of the Vilnius Mint “LMK”.
All of this is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same design as all other 20 cent European coins, depicting Europe in the world.

But let's take a look at the technical specifications:

We move immediately to the 50 Euro Cents of Lithuania. This coin was specifically designed by Antanas Zukauskas.

On the Obverse, there is a depiction of the heroic knight Vytis on his white horse with his sword raised upwards. Immediately below the steed, the coin features the inscription LIETUVA, which means LITHUANIA, and the mint mark “LMK”.
On the right, next to the sword, the year of minting is indicated. The entire design is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

As for the Reverse, it is identical to other 50 Euro Cent coins in Europe, depicting the European Union's position in the world.

Let’s take a look at the technical specifications:

We now arrive at the 1 Euro coin from Lithuania, also created by the same author, Antanas Zukauskas.

The coin features a double section. On the Obverse, in the inner part, the knight Vytis, the national hero of Lithuania, is depicted, a symbol of the Baltic countries and also present on the Lithuanian national coat of arms.
To his right, next to the drawn sword, is the year of minting, while below the horse is the inscription LIETUVA, which means LITHUANIA. To the left of this inscription is the Mint mark “LMK”.
In the outer part of the coin, there are 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

On the Reverse, the coin presents the same face as the other 1 Euro coins from European states.

Now let's move on to the technical specifications:

Finally, we have arrived at the last Euro coin from Lithuania, namely the 2 Euro coin. In this case, the author is Antanas Zukauskas. If you can't find the Lithuanian 2 Euro coin you are looking for, you should check this page: 2 Euro commemorative Lithuania. It might be among those.

This coin, like the 1 Euro coin, features a dual section: outer and inner. Starting with the Obverse, we see that the representation is the same as on all other Lithuanian Euro coins, namely the knight Vytis, the national symbol of Lithuania and the Baltic states.
Below the steed is the inscription LIETUVA, which means LITHUANIA, while immediately to the left is the Mint symbol “LMK”.
To the right of the sword is the year of minting.
On the outer part of the coin, the 12 five-pointed stars are depicted, which represent the member states of the European Union.

As for the Reverse, it features the representation of Europe, just like all other 2 Euro coins in Europe.

Let’s take a look at the technical specifications: