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1 Euro Pattern
| Issuer | Crete |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Bimetallic fantasy piece with a nickel inner disk featuring the diademed and draped bust of a classical queen in right profile, styled after ancient Cretan coinage. The effigy is elaborately detailed with ornate headdress and flowing hair. Surrounding the central disk, the nordic gold outer ring bears twelve five-pointed stars and the legend CRETE incuse along the lower arc. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | CRETE TRIAL PROBE ESSAI |
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| Additional information |
Crete has not functioned as an independent issuing authority since its absorption into the Greek state in 1913, which makes any coin attributed to it as issuer a fantasy or pattern piece rather than a legitimate monetary instrument. The 2004 date places this squarely in the wave of speculative euro fantasy coinages produced in the early 2000s, when dozens of non-issuing entities — regions, microstates, historical polities — were assigned invented euro designs by private mints, primarily in Germany and the Netherlands, targeting collector markets rather than circulation.
The bimetallic specification mimics the genuine €1 coin closely enough to suggest deliberate imitation of official format.