2022-05-25 Wed

In celebration of the last solar eclipse of the millennium, the National Bank of Romania decided to issue a commemorative two thousand Romanian lei banknote; the note was issued as legal tender and sets the world record for the World's First banknote dedicated to a Solar Eclipse.

The banknote was designed by Romanian artist Nicolae Saftoiu; in observance of the upcoming millennium, the obverse of the note displays a rendering of the Solar System viewed from afar, showing all of the planets revolving around the Sun.

The reverse of the note displays a map outline of Romania with the colors schemed to match the colors of the Romanian flag. The map marks the main points where the solar eclipse was visible in a path moving along the map from west to east.

The 2000 Lei banknote marked the astronomical event - the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, as well as the entry into a new millennium by the issuance of the first polymer banknote in Europe.

Image Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org