Production

Printing of the notes started on 15 January 1992 at the “11 October” printing firm in Prilep. The difficulties of creating a new currency in secret were reflected in the notes themselves. The paper, purchased from Slovenia, proved to be of poor quality and lacked adequate security. Although denominated in denari, the name of the currency did not appear on the notes because they were printed prior to the adoption of the Law on the Monetary Unit. Likewise, the issuer appeared as the "National Bank of Macedonia", not its successor, the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia.^[3]

Design

The notes were designed by a young employee of the "11 October" printer, who had only one week and a limited budget to design them. Thus the six lowest denominations were identical, with the exception of their colours. All featured a man and two women picking tobacco leaves on the front, with the back devoted to the Ilinden monument in Kruševo, which, according to the bank, “expresses the eternal fight of citizens of Macedonia for life in peace and freedom.”

Banknotes of the first denar
Image		Value	Dimensions	Watermark	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	printing	issue	withdrawal	lapse
		10 DEN	143mm × ? mm	Design	Women gathering tobacco	Monument Makedonium in Kruševo	1992	27 April 1992	10 May 1993[4]	?
		25 DEN	143mm × ? mm
		50 DEN*	143mm × ? mm						31 August 1993[4]
		100 DEN	143mm × ? mm
		500 DEN	143mm × ? mm
		1,000 DEN	143mm × ? mm						30 November 1993[4]
		5,000 DEN	143mm × ? mm		Monument Makedonium in Kruševo	Girl in front of a computer
		10,000 DEN	143mm × ? mm		Panorama of the Church of St. Sofia, Ohrid	Men dancing and the monument Makedonium in Kruševo
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. After 10 May 1993 these banknotes remained in circulation at 1⁄100 of their nominal value.[4]

First series (1993)

In May 1993, coins for the second denar were introduced in denominations of 50 deni, and 1, 2, and 5 denars. The coins were designed by Dimče Boškoski and Snežana Atanasovska. In November 2008, 10 and 50 denar coins were introduced, while the 50 deni coin was withdrawn in 2013. Due to its low mintage, it had only been struck in 1993 and was practically never seen in circulation.^[5]

Since 1996, a large number of commemorative coins have been issued for collectors; a listing can be found on the national bank website.^[6]

Coins are minted at the Suvenir factory in Samokov, a village near Makedonski Brod.

Coins of the denar (1993–present)[7]
Image	Value	Technical parameters			Description			Date of
		Diameter	Mass	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	minting	issue	withdrawal	lapse
	50 deni	21.5 mm	4.1 g	CuZn15	Plain	Value, Stylized horizont with a 16-ray sun	РЕПУБЛИКА МАКЕДОНИЈА, circular; year in the lower central field. Flying seagull	1993	10 May 1993	1 January 2013[8]	Indefinitely*
	1 DEN	23.80 mm	5.1 g	CuNi3Zn17			РЕПУБЛИКА МАКЕДОНИЈА, circular; year in the lower central field. Šarplaninec shepherd dog	1993 1997 2001 2006 2008 2014 2016		Current
	2 DEN	25.50 mm	6.2 g				РЕПУБЛИКА МАКЕДОНИЈА, circular; year in the lower central field. Ohrid trout (Salmo letnica).	1993 1997 2001 2006 2008 2018
	5 DEN	27.5 mm	7.2 g				РЕПУБЛИКА МАКЕДОНИЈА, circular; year in the lower central field. Balkan lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus).	1993 1997 2001 2006 2008
	10 DEN	24.5 mm	6.6 g	Cu70Ni12Zn18	Plain	Value, Stylized horizont with a 16-ray sun	Peacock, floor mosaic from Stobi from the 6th century AD, detail presented on the banknote of 10 Denari	2008 2017	15 November 2008	Current
	50 DEN	26.5 mm	7.7 g	Cu62Ni18Zn20			Archangel Gabriel, fresco from the Church of St. George, Kurbinovo - 12th century, detail presented on the banknote of 50 Denari	2008
These images are to scale at 2.5 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the coin specification table. Until 1 April 2013, coins of 50 deni could be exchanged at any domestic bank. Although no deadline has been set, after that date, the coins can be exchanged only at the National Bank of North Macedonia.

Second series (2020)

Due to the country's name change as part of the Prespa Agreement, a new set of coins featuring the new name of North Macedonia is being released into circulation, starting with 1 denar coins in April 2021.

FAO coinage (1995)

In 1995, circulation coins of 1, 2, and 5 denar denominations were struck in honor of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.