How to Identify the 5 Litai

Look for the Vytis Knight

The decisive feature is the reverse: Vytis, an armored knight on horseback facing left, brandishing a sword and carrying a shield. This mounted knight is Lithuania's national coat of arms. If your coin shows this figure rather than a Soviet hammer-and-sickle or state emblem, you are almost certainly holding a modern independent-Lithuania issue.

Read the Value and Radiating-Line Side

The opposite face states the denomination as 5 LITAI over a field of radiating straight lines. Confirm both the numeral 5 and the word LITAI (the plural of litas). A different stated value, such as 1, 2, or 10 litai, or the singular litas, points to a neighboring denomination in the same series rather than the 5 litai.

Check Metal, Size, and Date

This is a pale, lightweight nickel-alloy coin, not silver or gold, so it should lack precious-metal heft and show a whitish tone. Verify the 1991 date and the country name Lietuva. Use weight and diameter together with the stated value to separate it from the smaller and larger coins of the same design family, which share the Vytis emblem but differ in size and denomination.

Rule Out Look-Alikes

The main confusion is with other coins of the early Lithuanian litai series, which all carry the Vytis knight but differ in value and size, so always read the denomination and measure the coin. Also distinguish this from Soviet-era rubles and kopecks that circulated in Lithuania before independence: those use Soviet symbolism and Cyrillic, never the Vytis knight or the Lietuva legend. Later euro-era Lithuanian coins likewise differ, as Lithuania adopted the euro in 2015.

Authentication Cautions

As a modest-value base-metal coin, the 1991 5 litai is not a common target for counterfeiters, so the practical concerns are correct attribution and grade rather than forgery. Confirm the exact date, denomination, and Lietuva legend rather than assuming from the knight alone, since the whole series looks similar. Judge condition by the sharpness of the knight, horse, and radiating lines, and avoid cleaning, which harms even inexpensive coins. Match every cue, the Vytis emblem, the 5 LITAI value, the nickel fabric, the size, and the 1991 date, before finalizing the identification.