As from 25 November 2009, the National Bank of Romania is to put into circulation for numismatic purposes a silver coin dedicated to Timisoara, the first European city lit by electric street lamp.
The silver coin has a face value of 10 lei, a diameter of 37mm, weight of 31,103g, and has a milled edge. The numismatic issue comprises 500 coins available for sale at 170 lei (excluding VAT and the price of the cases).
The obverse of the coin displays on the left side the face value – 10 lei, a vintage street lamp, the inscription “Romania”, the year of issue – 2009 and the coat-of-arms of Romania, and on the right side the depictions of some buildings and monuments that are representatives for Timisoara. The reverse of the coin presents the inscription “TIMISOARA – PRIMUL ORAS EUROPEAN ILUMINAT ELECTRIC”, images depicting the hydroelectric power station on the Bega river, a group of three electricity generators and the building of the first power station in Timisoara, and in the lower part, the inscription “1884”.
Each coin is embedded in a transparent plastic capsule and is accompanies by a leaflet featuring an overview of the numismatic issue in Romanian, English and French.
The leaflet comes with a certificate of authenticity bearing the signatures of both the Governor and the Head of Cashier of the National Bank of Romania.
The silver collector coins dedicated to Timişoara, the first European city lit by electric street lamps, are to be put into circulation through the branches of the National Bank of Romania in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iaşi, and Timişoara.
