Catalog
1 Drachma - Constantine I Essai
| Issuer | Kingdom of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Reference(s) | KM#E32 |
| Obverse description | Laureate bare head of King Constantine I facing left, rendered in high relief with finely detailed hair and laurel wreath. The engraver's initials K.Δ. appear in the lower field below the truncation. The date 1915 is inscribed in the exergue, accompanied by the word ESSAI to its right, denoting the trial or pattern status of this piece. The circular legend ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ runs along the periphery, separated by a beaded border. The portrait is executed in a classical academic style consistent with the work of Demetriadis. |
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| Obverse lettering | ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ K.Δ 1915 ESSAI (Translation: Constantine, King of the Greeks) |
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| Additional information |
Greece entered World War I in a state of profound constitutional crisis — the National Schism pitting King Constantine I against Prime Minister Venizelos paralyzed government functions, including routine currency administration. This essai was struck in 1915 as a proposed coinage type that never advanced to circulation, almost certainly a casualty of that political deadlock rather than any technical objection to the design or alloy.
KM#E32 is among the scarcer Greek essais of the period. Pattern and trial pieces from this era frequently survive in tiny quantities, often retained by mint officials or government archives before dispersal.