The lari (, ; ISO 4217: GEL, sign: ₾) is the currency of Georgia. It is divided into 100 tetri (). The name lari is an old Georgian word denoting a hoard, property, while tetri is an old Georgian monetary term (meaning 'white') used in ancient Colchis from the 6th century BC. Earlier Georgian currencies include the maneti (), abazi (), and kuponi ().
Kuponi
Georgia replaced the Soviet ruble on 5 April 1993, with the kuponi () at par. This currency consisted only of banknotes, had no subdivisions and suffered from hyperinflation. Notes were issued in denominations between 1 and 1 million kuponi, including the somewhat unusual 3, 3,000, 30,000 and 150,000 kuponi.
<gallery perrow="5" widths="100px" heights="100px" caption="Highest denominations of each series of the Georgian kuponi">
File:10 000 купонов лари. 1. 1993.jpg|10 000 kuponi, 1993 (1st issue)
File:100 купонов лари. 2. 1993.jpg|100 kuponi, 1993 (2nd issue)
File:100 000 купонов лари. 3. 1993.jpg|100 000 kuponi, 1993 (3rd issue)
File:20 000 купонов лари. 4. 1993.jpg|20 000 kuponi, 1993 (4th issue)
File:1 000 000 купонов лари. 5. 1994.jpg|1 000 000 kuponi, 1994
</gallery>
Lari
On 2 October 1995, the government of Eduard Shevardnadze replaced the provisional coupon currency with the Lari, at a rate of one million to one. It has remained fairly stable since then.
Lari sign
thumb|250px|The Georgian Lari currency sign, introduced on 8 July 2014.
The NBG announced the Lari sign competition in December 2013. The temporary commission consisted of representatives of NBG, the Budget and Finance Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, the State Council of Heraldry, the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.
On 8 July 2014, Giorgi Kadagidze, Governor of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), unveiled the winning proposal for the sign of the national currency to the public. The author of the winning sign was professional artist-ceramist, Malkhaz Shvelidze.
On 17 June 2015, the Unicode Consortium released Unicode V8.0, which includes the Lari sign as
:
Coins
Coins are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 tetri, as well as 1 and 2 lari.
The National Bank of Georgia announced on 5 October 2018 that it would discontinue circulation of 1 and 2 Tetri coins as of 1 January 2021, and that these coins would lose their legal tender status. 1 and 2 Tetri coins could be exchanged at the National Bank of Georgia and commercial banks in Georgia within one year from 1 January 2021, and can only be exchanged at the National Bank of Georgia from 1 January 2022. According to the new regulations on cash payments introduced by the National Bank of Georgia on 1 January 2019, 1 and 2 tetri are rounded to 0, and 3, 4, 6 and 7 tetri are rounded to 5.
The National Bank of Georgia announced on 12 November 2015 that, effective 1 January 2018, the old 50 Tetri coin, issued since 1995, would be withdrawn from circulation and the coins would lose their legal tender status. The old 50 Tetri coin were exchangeable at the National Bank of Georgia and commercial banks of Georgia within one year from 1 January 2018, and from 1 January 2019 only at the National Bank of Georgia.
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; font-size:87%; line-height:1.3"
! colspan=2 | Image
! rowspan=2 | Value
! colspan=4 | Technical parameters
! colspan=3 | Description
! rowspan=2 | Issued<br/>from
! rowspan=2 | Withdrawn
|-
! Obverse
! Reverse
! Diameter<br/>(mm)
! Mass<br/>(g)
! colspan=2 | Composition
! Edge
! Obverse
! Reverse
|-
! colspan=12 | First series (1993)
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 60px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 60px
| 1 tetri
| align=center | 15.00
| align=center | 1.38
| rowspan="5" style="background-color:#dcdcdc;" |
| rowspan=5 | Stainless<br/>steel
| rowspan=6 | Smooth
| Vine tendril; value
| rowspan=6 | Borjgali over a tree of life;<br/>year of issue; lettering:<br/>;<br/>Republic of Georgia
| rowspan=6 | 1996
| rowspan=2 | 2021
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 63px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 63px
| 2 tetri
| align=center | 17.50
| align=center | 1.90
| Peacock; value
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 65px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 65px
| 5 tetri
| align=center | 20.00
| align=center | 2.50
| Golden lion from<br/>Alazani valley; value
| rowspan=3 | Current
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 68px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 68px
| 10 tetri
| align=center | 22.00
| align=center | 3.00
| Saint Mammes riding<br/>a lion from Gelati<br/>Monastery; value
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 75px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 75px
| 20 tetri
| align=center | 25.00
| align=center | 5.00
| Stag by Niko<br/>Pirosmani; value
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 65px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 65px
| 50 tetri
| align=center | 19.00
| align=center | 2.50
| style="background-color:#ffe550;"|
| Brass
| Griffin from Samtavisi<br/>Cathedral; value
| 2018
|-
! colspan=12 | Second series (2006)
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 73px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 73px
| 50 tetri
| align=center | 24.00
| align=center | 6.52
| rowspan="3" style="background-color:#dcdcdc;" |
| rowspan=2 | Cupronickel
| rowspan=4 | Reeded<br/>lettering:<br/>
| Value
| Coat of arms; sun beams;<br/>year of issue; lettering:<br/>'
| rowspan=4 | 2006
| rowspan=4 | Current
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 77px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 77px
| ₾1
| align=center | 26.20
| align=center | 7.85
| Half-milled; value
| rowspan=3 | Coat of arms;<br/>year of issue; lettering:<br/>'
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 80px
| rowspan=2 style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 80px
| rowspan=2 | ₾2
| rowspan=2 align=center | 27.00
| rowspan=2 align=center | 8.00
| Outer:<br/>Cupronickel
| rowspan=2 | Sun rays; value
|-
| style="background-color:#ffe550;"|
| Inner:<br/>Cu-Al-Ni
|-
| colspan=12 |
|}
Banknotes
Current series
Between November 2016 and October 2019 the National Bank of Georgia released five banknotes (in denominations of ₾5, ₾10, ₾20, ₾50, and ₾100), composing a new complete set.
The 2016–2019 series lari notes were produced in collaboration with Oberthur Technologies, Giesecke+Devrient and De La Rue.
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; font-size:88%; border-width:1px;"
! colspan=10 | Upgraded series (2016–2019)
|-
! colspan=2 | Image
! rowspan=2 | Value
! rowspan=2 | Dimensions<br/>(mm)
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | Main<br/>colour
! colspan=2 | Description
! rowspan=2 | Issued<br/>from
! rowspan=2 | First<br/>issued
|-
! Obverse
! Reverse
! Obverse
! Reverse
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 80px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 80px
| ₾5
| align=center | 122 × 62
| style="background:#C0A080;"|
| Brown
| Ivane Javakhishvili;<br/>Tbilisi State University
| Threshing & Fisherman<br/>in a Red Shirt
| 2017
| 1 Sep 2017
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 85px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 85px
| ₾10
| align=center | 127 × 64
| style="background:#80C0FF;"|
| Blue
| Akaki Tsereteli;<br/>Tsereteli's poem Spring
| Imereti - My Mother<br/>
| 2019
| 1 Oct 2019
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 90px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 90px
| ₾20
| align=center | 132 × 66
| style="background:#FF8080;"|
| Red
| Ilia Chavchavadze; Iveria &<br/>Sakartvelos Moambe<br/>newspaper
| Vakhtang Gorgasali statue;<br/>Panorama and map<br/>of Tbilisi
| rowspan="3" | 2016
| rowspan=2 | 1 Feb 2016
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 95px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 95px
| ₾50
| align=center | 137 × 68
| style="background:#80C080;"|
| Green
| Queen Tamar;<br/>Vardzia monastery
| Sagittarius miniature;<br/>12th-century manuscript
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 100px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 100px
| ₾100
| align=center | 142 × 70
| style="background:#C080FF;"|
| Purple
| Shota Rustaveli; The<br/>Knight in the Panther's Skin
| Georgian National Opera<br/>Theater; Tavisupleba score
| 1 Nov 2016
|-
| colspan=10 |
|}
Earlier issues
The National Bank of Georgia announced that banknotes of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 lari issued between 1995 and 1999 will no longer be legal tender on 1 January 2022. These currencies can only be exchanged at the National Bank of Georgia from 1 January 2022.
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; font-size:88%; line-height:1.3"
|-
! colspan=2 | Image
! rowspan=2 | Value
! rowspan=2 | Dimensions<br/>(mm)
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | Main<br/>colour
! colspan=2 | Description
! rowspan=2 | Issued<br/>from
! rowspan=2 | First<br/>issued
|-
! Obverse
! Reverse
! Obverse
! Reverse
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 70px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 70px
| ₾1
| rowspan=3 align=center | 115 × 61
| style="background:#80B0B0;"|
| Teal
| Niko Pirosmanashvili
| Tbilisi panorama;<br/>Stag by Pirosmani
| 2002–2007
| rowspan=5 | 5 Aug 2002
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 70px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 70px
| ₾2
| style="background:#FFCBA4;"|
| Peach
| Zacharia Paliashvili;<br/>Abesalom da Eteri
| National Opera Theater
| 2002
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 70px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 70px
| ₾5
| style="background:#C0A080;"|
| Brown
| Ivane Javakhishvili
| Tbilisi State University
| rowspan=3 | 2002–2013
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 75px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 75px
| ₾10
| align=center | 125 × 63
| style="background:#80C0FF;"|
| Blue
| Akaki Tsereteli;<br/>Swallow; branches
| Imereti - My Mother<br/>
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 80px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 80px
| ₾20
| align=center | 131 × 65
| style="background:#C08080;"|
| Maroon
| Ilia Chavchavadze;<br/>Iveria & Sakartvelos<br/>Moambe newspaper
| Vakhtang Gorgasali statue;<br/>Panorama and map<br/>of Tbilisi
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 85px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 85px
| ₾50
| align=center | 135 × 66
| style="background:#C0C080;"|
| Olive
| Queen Tamar;<br/>Griffin
| Sagittarius miniature;<br/>12th-century manuscript
| 2004–2013
| rowspan=2 | 29 Nov 2004
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 90px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 90px
| ₾100
| align=center | 140 × 67
| style="background:#80C080;"|
| Green
| Shota Rustaveli;<br/>Angels with cross
| Daniel in the den of lions<br/>from Martvili monastery
| 2004–2014
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 95px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 95px
| ₾200
| align=center | 146 × 72
| style="background:#FFE080;"|
| Yellow
| Kakutsa Cholokashvili;<br/>Relief images
| Sokhumi;<br/>iconostasis from Tsebelda
| 2006
| 15 Apr 2007
|-
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 92px
| style="background:#000; text-align:center" | 92px
| ₾500
| align=center | 143 × 66
| style="background:#69b4b4;"|
| Blue<br/>green
| David IV
| Early Georgian inscriptions;<br/>cross
| 1995
| Unissued
|-
| colspan=12 |
|}
See also
- Economy of Georgia (country)
- Larization
References
External links
- Georgian money, National Bank of Georgia
- Banknotes of Georgia: Georgian Lari Catalog
- The banknotes of Georgia