Lithuanian Litas
The Lithuanian litas was the restored national currency of Lithuania from 1993 to 2015, celebrated for its artistic quality and symbolic return to Europe.
Quick Facts
Country: Lithuania
Code: LTL
Symbol: Lt
System: Decimal (1 Litas = 100 Centų)
Status: Withdrawn
Issuer: Bank of Lithuania
The Story of the Lithuanian Litas
Reintroduced after the transitional talonas, the litas restored interwar prestige. The series had a difficult start with the flawed 1991 US-printed issues (USBC), which were quickly replaced by high-quality European banknotes. The litas remained a stable symbol of Lithuanian sovereignty until the 2015 euro adoption, closing a highly disciplined chapter of Baltic numismatic history.
Design & Symbolism
Iconography centres on cultural leaders like Jonas Basanavičius. The 500 litas note with Vincas Kudirka is the series' technical peak, featuring Kinegram® security. A major collector "hook" is the unreleased 1000 litas note featuring M.K. Čiurlionis—the "ghost note" of Lithuanian numismatics. The series is lauded for its clean aesthetic and advanced intaglio engraving.
For collectors
For collectors, the litas is a "finite European series." After 2015, the Bank of Lithuania destroyed massive volumes of notes. Rare early US-printed issues and high-denomination UNC notes are the primary targets. The limited availability of crisp 100, 200, and 500 litas notes makes them increasingly valuable survivors of Lithuania's restored independence era.
The Lithuanian litas was officially replaced by the euro in 2015, marking the end of Lithuania's national currency chapter.