Inscription "Republic of Albania" written along the upper arch; the year of minting at the bottom; the coat of arms of Albania (double-headed eagle) in the centre.

The coat of arms of Albania is an adaptation of the flag of Albania. The double-headed eagle was borrowed from the banner of the Byzantine Empire. The eagle was used for heraldic purposes in the Middle Ages by a number of noble families in Albania and became the symbol of the Albanians. The Kastrioti's coat of arms, depicting a black double-headed eagle on a red field, became famous when he led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire resulting in the independence of Albania from 1443 to 1479. This was the flag of the League of Lezhë, which was the first unified Albanian state in the Middle Ages and the oldest Parliament with extant records.

Nominal value and olive branches aside.