Motiejus Valančius (1801–1875) was one of the most significant figures in mid-19th century Lithuania's religious, cultural, and political life: the Bishop of Samogitia, an educator, and an active public figure. He is considered the principal organizer of the Lithuanian temperance movement and book-smuggling activities. Alongside his public work, he was a historian, politician, and writer whose activities and writings had an immeasurable impact on the consciousness of Lithuanian society. In his later years, he ventured into the world of fiction with The Children’s Book and The Book for Grown-Up People, and earned recognition as a prose writer with The Story of Brother Anthony the Tertiary and Juozas of Palanga.

 

The reverse features a portrait of Motiejus Valančius with the inscription "1801, MOTIEJUS VALANČIUS, 1875" in a semicircle above. The obverse shows the coat of arms of the Republic of Lithuania within a shield. At the center, an open book depicts fragments of Varniai, the center of the Diocese of Samogitia. The inscriptions read "LIETUVA" at the top and "2001, 50 LITŲ" at the bottom.