Ten bani
| Romania | |
| Value | 0.10 Romanian leu |
|---|---|
| Mass | 4.0 g |
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Thickness | 1.8 mm |
| Edge | Intermittently twenty reeds and plain (three times) |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Years of minting | 1867, 1900, 1905-1906, 1952-1956, 2005-present |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | 'ROMANIA', Coat of arms, eight four-pointed stars, year of minting |
| Design date | 2004/2005 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design | 10 BANI |
| Design date | 2004/2005 |
The ten-bani coin is a coin of the Romanian leu. It was reintroduced on 1 July 2005 and is the second-largest denomination coin in Romania. In addition to Romania, it has been minted in the United Kingdom (1867), Belgium (1900, 1905-1906), Germany (1906) and Russia (1952).
The first ten-bani coin was struck in 1867 by two different mints in Birmingham, England: Heaton and Watt & Co. The coin measured 30mm in diameter and weighed 10g. It was composed of 95% copper, 4% tin and 1% zinc. The obverse featured the name of the country and its coat of arms. The reverse featured the denomination within a laurel branch and oak branch. The denomination within the wreath read 10 BANI and 1867. Each mint struck 12.5 million of the coin. Watt & Co. used the mintmark WATT & Co below the wreath while Heaton used one of HEATON. The coins entered circulation on 1 January 1868.
A second ten-bani coin was struck only in 1900, in Brussels, Belgium. It measured 19mm in diameter and weighed 3.5g. It was made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. Its obverse featured the crown of Romania above the date within a wreath of a laurel branch and oak branch. The reverse featured the denomination and name of the country. A total of 15 million were issued.
The third ten-bani coin entered circulation in 1905 and also saw issue the following year. Although the same diameter and composition, it weighed 0.5g less (4g) due to a hole through the centre. On the obverse, the crown was placed above the hole and the name of the country was written on a scroll underneath. The reverse featured the denomination at the top, a rose on each side of the middle and the year at the bottom. The coins were designed by Anton Scharff, chief engraver at the Austrian Mint in Vienna. The 10.82 million coins of 1905 were minted exclusively at Brussels while in 1906 17 million from Hamburg, Germany supplemented 24.18 million from Brussels. The Hamburg-struck coins feature a 'J' mintmark below the scroll on the obverse while those of Brussels are without a mintmark.
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Wikipedia