At the end of 1991. Croatian Government has decided to inroduce new currency instead of Yugoslavian DINAR, common currency of Socialistic Yugoslavia. That was the period after Croatia proclaimed its independence, and attack of the Yugoslavian National Army was on its highest level.
    New currency has been just temporary, wartime, so many enthusiastic nationalistic and historic names for it were rejected by the Croatian National Bank and currency was at last simply named CROATIAN DINAR. It was not divided into smaller parts. Also, there were no coins at all, just banknotes which were oftenly printed in higher values as the inflation was high.
    Already in 1993 Croatian National Bank decided to make a monetary reform in mid-1994. Due to pro-nazi regime in WWII (NDH) and its monetary system, it was decided new currency will be named KUNA, divided into 100 BANICA. Very soon that was rejected, and new currency was named KUNA, divided into 100 LIPA. Name "kuna", which means marten, was derived from the earliest history of Croatian people, back in VII century; it was used as natural money, before any Croatian king has minted real money - coins. Villagers have been paying taxes in marten's furs until XV and even XVI century. Even then, marten has been theme on Croatian early coinage, as well as on NDH (pro-nazi Croatian country in WWII) probe coins. As kuna (marten) belongs to Fauna, the hundredth part was choosen from Flora world - "Lipa" is Croatian word for Lime tree. Competition for coin design won sculptor Kuzma Kovacic, from Split. His initials KK are incused on every regular Croatian coin issue. Motives on obverse of Kuna coins belogs to Fauna, and obverses of Lipa coins shows members of Flora. Probe coins, according to Croatian National Bank, were made in just few pieces and destroyed before May, 30th 1994. when KUNA was finally introduced.
    Coins were minted in 9 denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 lipa and 1, 2, 5 kuna. On this page you can download for free my catalog of coins issued by Republic of Croatia (Croatian National Bank) in three parts as follows (old version, new in preparation):

    It contains double-sized pictures of every coin type, includes data and mintages of all years (newest data from the Croatian National Bank). All information comprised in this catalog are correct, which was confirmed by the Croatian National Bank. It will differ than Krause in some statements because there are some errors that have entered the catalog were never corrected.