A postage stamp reminds about the 20th anniversary of Lithuanian currency talonas

On 1 October 2012, the restored national monetary system of Lithuania commemorates its 20^th anniversary. The postage stamp launched on this occasion was issued in 100 000 units with the denomination of 2 litas. The stamp was designed by artist Dorota Gasiūnaitė.

The envelope dedicated to the first day and a souvenir sheet were issued together with the postage stamp. Today, the postal correspondence with the new postage stamp was marked at the central post-office with the stamp of the date of the first day.

There were three issues of talonas – in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The talonas of the first issue were designed by artists Kazimieras Paškauskas, Raimondas Miknevičius, Giedrius Jonaitis, Rytis Valantinas, Justas Tolvaišis; the authors of the other talonas issues were a group of artists Rūta Lelytė, Vilius Jurkūnas and Algė Varnaitė gathered and led by Kazimieras Paškauskas. Birds and animals of Lithuanian forests dominated the back of the talonas notes.

When the Government of the Republic of Lithuania introduced general talonas notes on 5 August 1991, they were paid out as a supplement to the salaries in roubles, and were used in the form of coupons to acquire goods until 11 May 1992. On 16 September 1992, the Litas Committee adopted a resolution “On the Issue of the Provisional Currency of the Republic of Lithuania, Talonas and Withdrawal of the Rouble from Circulation”. This Resolution established that as of 1 October 1992 only provisional currency talonas would circulate in the Republic of Lithuania. Roubles were exchanged into talonas at the rate of 1:1. When the litas currency was issued into circulation on 25 June 1993, the provisional currency talonas was exchanged into litas at the rate of 1 litas for 100 talonas. The provisional currency circulated until 20 July 1993.

Economic and financial education