25 leke 1964

Common. The eBay market data provided shows consistent sales in the $5–$22 range for UNC specimens over the 2009–2023 period, with 2019 catalog values placing UNC examples at $15, indicating steady but modest demand and ample availability. The 1964 25 leke was part of a standard issue with no documented short print run or recall. Professionally graded examples (PMG 64–66) command higher prices ($38–$117.50), reflecting grading premiums rather than intrinsic rarity. This note is well-represented in the collector market and is not considered scarce.

Issued in 1964 by the Banka E Shtetit Shqiptar (Bank of the Albanian State), this note reflects Albania's post-war socialist economy and its emphasis on mechanized collective agriculture. The prominent imagery of harvesting machinery, workers in grain fields, and a Soviet-manufactured tractor (HTZ DT-54) demonstrates the strong Soviet influence on Albanian economic policy during the early 1960s, before Albania's gradual distancing from Soviet control later in the decade. The double-headed eagle emblem represents the Albanian state heraldry, asserting national identity alongside socialist agricultural development themes.

The obverse features a portrait of an unnamed peasant woman on the left side, depicted in traditional work attire with a head covering, holding wheat stalks. The central background contains an agricultural scene with a combine harvester and truck amid active harvest workers in a grain field, emphasizing collective labor themes. The reverse showcases the HTZ DT-54 tracked tractor (a Soviet Kharkiv Tractor Plant model), a worker operating the harvesting machinery, and plowed agricultural land. Both sides incorporate the Albanian national coat of arms—a double-headed eagle within a circular wreath with a star—positioned in the upper right. Ornate decorative borders featuring grape vine clusters and botanical motifs frame both sides. The denomination '25' appears in star-shaped and ornately framed designs on both the obverse and reverse.

Front side: 'BANKA E SHTETIT SHQIPTAR' (Bank of the Albanian State); 'NJËZET E PESË LEKË' (Twenty-five leke); 'I PAGUHEN PRURËSIT ME TË PARË' (Payable to bearer on first demand); '1964' (year of issue); '25' (denomination); Serial number 'BB 842008'. Back side: 'BANKA E SHTETIT SHQIPTAR' (Bank of the Albanian State); 'Njëzet e pesë lekë' (Twenty-five leke); '1964' (year); '25' (denomination); 'HIGJA DËNON ATA QË FABRIKOJNË DHE NDALJE BILETA TË FALSIFIKUARA' (The law condemns those who manufacture and distribute counterfeit banknotes).

Intaglio (engraved) printing, evidenced by the fine line work, intricate cross-hatching, detailed hatching patterns, and sharp registration visible throughout both sides. The complexity of the border designs, the peasant portrait, and the agricultural machinery details are characteristic of security banknote printing from this era. The printer for this issue is not definitively established in available sources, but Albanian banknotes of this period were typically produced by Eastern European security printers, possibly including facilities in the Soviet Union or other Comecon countries.

PMG catalogs two variants for Pick P-37: P-37a and P-37s (specimen). The observed note appears to be P-37a (the regular circulation issue), as indicated by the standard serial number 'BB 842008' and the absence of specimen overprints or perforations. The serial number prefix 'BB' and the particular number sequence may be useful for variety collectors tracking different printing runs, though Albanian notes from this period lack well-documented variety classifications. No other overprints, color variations, or significant printing varieties have been widely documented for this issue.