Latvian lats

The Latvian lats (plural: lati, plural genitive: latu, second Latvian lats ISO 4217 currency code: LVL) was the currency of Latvia from 1922 until 1940 and from 1993 until it was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014. A two-week transition period during which the lats was in circulation alongside the euro ended on 14 January 2014.^[3] The lats is abbreviated as Ls^[4] and was subdivided into 100 santīmi (singular: santīms; from French centime), abbreviated as an s after the santīm amount.^[5]

Latvian lats

Latvijas lats (Latvian)
The standard version of the Ls 1 coin depicted a salmon
ISO 4217
Code	LVL
Unit
Plural	lati (nom. pl.) or latu (gen. pl.)
Symbol	ℒ︁𝓈‎ (first lats) Ls (second lats)
Denominations
Subunit
1⁄100	santīms
Plural
santīms	santīmi (nom. pl.) or santīmu (gen. pl.)
Symbol
santīms	s
Banknotes
Freq. used	Ls 5, Ls 10, Ls 20, Ls 50, Ls 100
Rarely used	Ls 500
Coins
Freq. used	1 s, 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s, 50 s, Ls 1, Ls 2
Demographics
Replaced	Latvian ruble (1 LVL = 200 LVR)
Replaced by	Euro (1 EUR = 0.702804 LVL)
User(s)	None, previously:  Latvia
Issuance
Central bank	Bank of Latvia
Website	www.bank.lv
Valuation
Inflation	-0.4%
Source	ECB,[1] April 2013
EU Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)
Since	2 May 2005[2]
Fixed rate since	1 January 2005
Replaced by euro, non cash	1 January 2014
Replaced by euro, cash	15 January 2014[3]
1 € =	Ls 0.702804 (Irrevocable)
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

The Latvian lats has been recognized as one of the 99 entries of the Latvian Culture Canon.^[6]

First lats, 1922–1940

The ℒ︁𝓈 5 coin, introduced on Christmas of 1929, became a popular symbol of independence during the Soviet era. The coin was designed by Rihards Zariņš.

ℒ︁𝓈 20 banknote issued 1935 (obverse).

The first lats (symbol: ℒ︁𝓈) was first introduced on 3 August 1922, replacing the first Latvian ruble at a rate of ℒ︁𝓈 1 = Rbls 50.^[7] The lats was pegged against the gold standard from its introduction until 28 September 1936, when it was pegged against the British pound sterling at a rate of 1 £ = 25,22 ℒ︁𝓈.^[8][9] However, as the pound still retained the standard, a link of sorts existed until 1940.^[10]

On 17 June 1940, Latvia was occupied by the USSR. After the dismantling of the Bank of Latvia and its replacement with the Latvia Republican Office of the Gosbank on 10 October, the Soviet ruble was introduced alongside the lats on 25 November 1940 at par, although the real monetary value of the ruble was about a third of the lats. Thus both wages and prices were gradually raised to devalue the lats from June to November 1940. To lessen the effect of the exodus of goods sent by Soviet occupational personnel to the USSR, taking advantage of the new exchange rate, buyer limits for various goods were introduced.^[11]

Although the Soviet authorities initially pledged not to abolish the lats, it was taken out of circulation without prior warning at 13:05 on 25 March 1941, simultaneously nationalising all deposits larger than ℒ︁𝓈 1000. A part of the Latvian gold, silver and currency reserves were sent to Moscow at the start of the occupation.^[12][13]

Coins

Coins were issued in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 santīmu, ℒ︁𝓈 1, ℒ︁𝓈 2 and ℒ︁𝓈 5. The 1s, 2s and 5s were in bronze (Cu, Sn, Zn), the 10s, 20s and 50s were nickel, while coins of ℒ︁𝓈 1 and above were struck in silver, with a purity of 83,5 percent.^[14]

Banknotes

The Latvian Bank issued notes from 1922 in denominations of ℒ︁𝓈 20, ℒ︁𝓈 25, ℒ︁𝓈 50, ℒ︁𝓈 100 and ℒ︁𝓈 500. They also issued ℒ︁𝓈 10 notes which were 500 ruble notes overprinted with the new denomination. The government issued currency notes from 1925 in denominations of ℒ︁𝓈 5, ℒ︁𝓈 10 and ℒ︁𝓈 20.

Second lats, 1993–2013

The cost of one euro in Latvian lats (from 1999 till 2013).

The lats was reintroduced on 5 March 1993,^[15] replacing the Latvian ruble, which continued to circulate and kept validity until and including 30 June 1994^[16] at a rate of LR 200 being equivalent to Ls 1. The Ls 5 banknote was introduced first, and the last banknote to be introduced was the Ls 500 banknote on 20 July 1998.^[17] The lats was replaced on 1 January 2014 by the euro, at the rate of Ls 0.702804 to €1. The second lats can be exchanged to euros at the official rate at the Bank of Latvia's cashier's office in Riga.^[18]

Until the end of its circulation in January 2014, the lats was the fourth highest-valued currency unit per face value, after the Kuwaiti dinar, Bahraini dinar, and the Omani rial. The Ls 500 note was the world's third most valuable banknote after the $10,000 Brunei/Singaporean dollar note and the 1,000 Swiss franc note.^[19] With the abolition of the Maltese lira on 1 January 2008, the lats became the most valued European currency.

Coins

Coins were issued in denominations of 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s and 50s, Ls 1 and Ls 2. Besides standard coins in the list below and coins for collectors, the following coins were also issued: three commemorative circulation coins were issued in denominations of Ls 2, Ls 10 and Ls 100 (the latter two of which were, respectively, silver and gold), a Ls 100 gold bullion coin, and a series of limited design Ls1 coins twice a year from 2004 to 2013, and once in 2001 and 2003.

The initial standard Ls 2 coin was issued only once in 1992, it was a copper-nickel coin of 6g and measured 24.35mm in diameter.^[20] It was gradually replaced in circulation from 1999 with the below bimetallic coin due to counterfeiting issues.^[21]

The standard coins were designed by Gunārs Lūsis and Jānis Strupulis.

Coins of the Latvian lats (1992–1999) Designers: Gunārs Lūsis and Jānis Strupulis
Image	Value	Technical parameters				Description			Issued from
		Diameter (mm)	Mass (g)	Composition		Edge	Obverse	Reverse
	1 s	15.65	1.60		Copper-plated iron	Smooth	Smaller coat of arms; year of issue; Lettering: LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA	Five arches; two suns; value	1992–2008
	2 s	17.00	1.90						1992–2009
	5 s	18.50	2.50		Nickel silver
	10 s	19.90	3.25						1992–2008
	20 s	21.50	4.00						1992–2009
	50 s	18.80	3.50		Cupronickel	Reeded		Pine sapling; value
	Ls 1	21.75	4.80			Lettering: LATVIJAS BANKA • LATVIJAS BANKA •	Greater coat of arms; year of issue; Lettering: LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA	Leaping salmon; value	1992–2008
	Ls 2	24.35	6.00		Cupronickel			Cow; value	1992
		26.30	4.50		Outer: Cupronickel	Reeded lettering: LATVIJAS BANKA • LATVIJAS BANKA •			1999–2009
		18.21	5.00		Inner: Nickel silver
Relative size of coins

Banknotes

All banknotes are 130 × 65 mm in size. They were printed by Giesecke & Devrient GmbH in Germany and were designed by Imants Žodžiks and Valdis Ošiņš.^[22]

Banknotes of the Latvian lats (1992) Designers: Imants Žodžiks and Valdis Ošiņš
Image		Value	Euro equivalent	Dimensions (mm)	Main colour		Description		Issue
Obverse	Reverse						Obverse	Reverse
		Ls 5	€7.11	130 × 65		Green	Oak tree, sun ornament background	Sun woodcarving on a distaff	1992–2009
		Ls 10	€14.23			Purple	Bends of the River Daugava (Daugavas loki)	Latvian brooch (sakta)	1992–2008
		Ls 20	€28.46			Brown	Traditional homestead	Woven linen (dreļļu pattern)	1992–2009
		Ls 50	€71.14			Blue	Sailing-ship	Keys (Historical seal of Riga), Riga fortifications map	1992
		Ls 100	€142.29			Red	Krišjānis Barons	Lielvārde Belt (Lielvārdes josta)	1992–2007
		Ls 500	€711.44			Grey	Latvian folk-maid[note 1]	Ornamental bronze crowns	1992–2008

See also

• Latvia portal
• Money portal
• Numismatics portal

• Bank of Latvia
• Latvian euro coins
• Commemorative coins of Latvia
• Economy of Latvia

Notes

1. Similar to the 1929 silver five lats coin.