Catalog
1 Lepton
| Issuer | Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1831 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | A phoenix rising with outspread wings occupies the central field, symbolizing the rebirth of the Greek nation. A Latin cross surmounts the bird, with diagonal sun rays emanating from the upper left, all without an enclosing circle. The circular legend ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ (Hellenic State) runs along the periphery, while the date in Greek numerals αωκα΄ (1821) appears in a rectangular cartouche below the phoenix. |
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| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
The 1831 lepton belongs to the first coinage of the modern Greek state, authorized under Ioannis Kapodistrias, who served as the first governor of independent Greece. Kapodistrias had pushed hard to establish a national mint at Aegina — the provisional capital — as a concrete assertion of sovereignty over a territory still being contested militarily. He was assassinated in October 1831, the same year this coin was struck, making the entire Aegina mint series a brief and politically violent episode in Greek monetary history.