Catalog
1/4 Leku Prova
| Issuer | Albania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1926 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 1 January 1940 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | SHQIPNI 1926 R (Translation: Albania) |
| Reverse description | A naturalistic sprig of oak bearing five lobed leaves occupies the upper portion of the field, rendered in fine relief with detailed vein work. Below the oak spray, the denomination is displayed in two lines: the fraction 1/4 in large numerals occupying the centre, flanked to the left by the word PROVA (Trial), and the word LEKU in bold capital letters filling the lower field. The overall design is clean and uncluttered, consistent with the Italian Regio Zecca's pattern coinage aesthetic of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Albania's first modern coinage program was negotiated under Ahmet Zogu's government with the Italian mint at Rome, which struck the 1926 issues. The "Prova" designation marks this as a pattern or trial piece — produced for official approval before any circulation strike was authorized. For the quarter leku denomination, no circulation issue followed; the Prova effectively became the only struck form.
The Rome mint's involvement reflected Italy's broader ambitions in Albania throughout the 1920s, formalized the following year when Zogu declared himself king.