19 mm diameter, 2.53 g, brass outer pearl circle, value 1	outer pearl circle, inscription COOP. UNIREA • SLANIC • meaning UNIREA (UNION) COOPERATIVE, monogram CU (from Cooperative Unirea)
20 mm diameter, 2.69 g, copper outer pearl circle, value 2	outer pearl circle, inscription COOP. UNIREA • SLANIC • meaning UNIREA (UNION) COOPERATIVE, monogram CU (from Cooperative Unirea)

This cooperative functioned in the Slănic city in the Prahova county. In the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial) no. 151 of July 3, 1931, the Oficiul Naţional al Cooperaţiei Române (National Office of Romanian Cooperative) published a list of cooperative societies for which excerpts from their founding documents had appeared in the Buletinul Cooperaţiei Române (Bulletin of Romanian Cooperative) (between August 1930 and June 1931). The "Unirea" [Union] Cooperative in the commune of Slănic, Prahova county, is mentioned in Bulletin no. 2 of 1931.

Some information regarding this cooperative can be found in the newspaper Dreptatea [Justice] on March 31, 1934. Under the headline "On the Matter of the Slănic Cooperative," the paper published a note concerning an interpellation presented during the Chamber [of Deputies] session on March 29 by deputy D. Căpăţîneanu. The deputy explained that this cooperative — formed by workers from the Slănic salt mine — had been operating since 1930. Its purpose was "to reorganize, for its members, the procurement and sale of food, clothing, footwear etc." (in other words, essential goods). Local merchants had an interest in seeing the cooperative dissolved. Consequently, a delegation of merchants "approached the Ministry of Finance and the result was that the directorate of the Autonomous Administration of Monopolies ordered the closure of the [cooperative's] butcher shop". In response, a delegation of workers from the Slănic salt mine went to the Autonomous Administration of Monopolies with a petition signed by 100 people, aiming to demonstrate that the workers had a vested interest in keeping their cooperative operational. At the end of his speech, the deputy asked the Minister of Finance what measures he intended to take to ensure that the situation would be solved in favor of the salt mine employees, rather than the merchants of Slănic. Unfortunately, we were been unable to discover how this story ultimately concluded.

The name "Unirea" (Union) was used by numerous cooperatives and people's banks during the interwar period, in localities throughout Greater Romania.

Reference

1. Schäffer E., România. Jetoane, semne valorice şi mărci, Guttenbrun [old German name of Zăbrani village in Arad county], 2012.