The Lithuanian litas was the official currency of Lithuania from 1922 to 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centu.
The litas was introduced in October 1922, when Lithuania declared independence after the First World War. Coins were introduced in 1925 in denominations of 1 centas, 2 centai, 5 centai, 10 centu, 20 centu, 50 centu, 1 litas, 2 litai, and 5 litai. The 10 litu coins were introduced in 1936. All these coins were designed by the sculptor Juozas Zikaras. The litas coins featured Jonas Basanavicius and Vytautas the Great, which was replaced by a portrait of President Antanas Smetona.
Lithuania used the talonas between 1991 and 1993. It replaced the Soviet ruble at par. The talonas was only issued as paper money.
The litas was reintroduced in June 1993 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, replacing the talonas at a rate of 100 talonai to 1 litas.
Coins were also reintroduced. The 1-, 2-, and 5-centai coins were the first permanent coins released after the restoration of independence. They were made of aluminum and bore the same date (1991) no matter the year of actual production. These coins were designed by Petras Garska, bearing the old version of the national coat of arms. These coins were referred to as “balti centai” (white cents).
The 10-, 20-, and 50-centu coins were introduced in 1997. They were made of a copper-zinc-nickel alloy and bore the year in which they were produced in. The coins were designed by Antanas Zukauskas and Arvydas Kazdailis and bore the newer version of the national coat of arms.
The 1-litas, 2-litas, and 5-litas coins were introduced in 1998, replacing the banknotes with the same denomination. The 1-litas coins were made of a cupro-nickel alloy, while the 2- and 5-litai coins were bimetallic. These coins were also designed by Antanas Zukauskas and Arvydas Kazdailis and bore the newer version of the national coat of arms.
The Lithuanian Mint releases 3-6 commemorative coins yearly. It also released four circulating commemorative 1-litas coins made of copper-nickel alloy.
