1 Lepton - George I 2nd portrait

By 1878, Greece had been issuing the lepton denomination for nearly five decades, but this second-portrait type reflects a quiet administrative refresh rather than any political rupture. George I, the Danish-born Glücksburg prince placed on the Greek throne by the protecting powers in 1863, had by this point consolidated a reign that would ultimately run 50 years — the longest of any modern Greek monarch. The two-year window of this issue suggests a transitional minting run, likely bridging a die replacement cycle at the Athens mint rather than a deliberate commemorative effort.

Circulation wear on surviving examples is typically heavy; the one-lepton had negligible purchasing power by the late 1870s and passed through many hands before being lost or discarded.