Lithuania 10 Litų Specimen banknote (1991 / ND 1993) – PMG 66 EPQ – “Darius & GIRENAS” Error Note

Design & historical context

• Notable error – incorrect name spelling

  All issued notes correctly spell the second pilot’s name “GIRĖNAS” (with a diacritic Ė). This specimen is mis-spelled “GIRENAS” (no diacritic) on the identification line beneath the right-hand portrait – an engraving error unique to early USBC proofs. The blunder was caught before mass production, making surviving PMG-certified examples extremely scarce.

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  Why collectors want this note

  • ✔️ Gem 66 EPQ – pristine, with bold inks and original paper wave

  • ✔️ True specimen with red overprint, zero serials & “SPECIMEN” diagonals

  • ✔️ Scarce name-error subtype prized by Lithuanian & error-note specialists

  • ✔️ Early post-independence issue documenting Baltic monetary history

  Obverse: Sepia portraits of trans-Atlantic aviators Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas (lith. Steponas Darius ir Stasys Girėnas) with the large vertical denomination “10 DEŠIMT LITŲ” at right.

• Reverse: Their aircraft Lituanica in flight above a cloud-shaded map of Europe. Vytis shield top-right; horizontal legend “10 DEŠIMT LITŲ” along lower border.

These pilots became national heroes after their 1933 New York-to-Kaunas flight that ended tragically in Germany. The banknote honours their courage during Lithuania’s first post-Soviet currency reform