10 Litų
The reverse of the 10 litų banknote features Lithuanian heroes, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas. In 1933 they flew from New York over the Atlantic Ocean with a small plane called Lituanica. However, the plane mysteriously crashed in Germany (now Poland). The duo did not survive. The obverse depicts Lituanica flying over the Atlantic Ocean with visible shores of the North America and Europe.
This banknote was noticed by the international press covering the introduction of the litas. Journalists made a metaphor that the litas should do better than the pilots, i.e. the litas, hopefully, would not crash. In later years, the banknote received unexpected media attention when the gay community started to send this banknote as a souvenir to foreign friends.
The most recent release clearly shows Darius wearing the cap with an insignia from the Palwaukee Municipal Airport located in Wheeling, Illinois . It attracted some attention from topic collectors.
The banknote was designed and redesigned by Giedrius Jonaitis. The very first draft of new Lithuanian currency had Darius and Girėnas on the 5 litai banknote. It was released in different designs four times (in 1993 (twice), 1997, and 2001). The first banknote design started an international scandal. In 1992, these banknotes were printed and ready to be released to the public. However, it was discovered that they were virtually unprotected. It delayed the introduction of the litas as the banknotes had to be reprinted. The banknotes bearing the date "1991" were released for a very short time and were quickly replaced by the 1993 issue. The major design ideas have not changed throughout the issues.
In 1993, on the 60th anniversary of Lituanica's flight, the 10 litų silver commemorative coin was issued featuring the pilots. It was the second commemorative coin issued by "Lithuanian Mint" (the first was for Pope John Paul II's visit to Lithuania).
Read more about this topic: Banknotes Of The Lithuanian Litas