Catalog
1 Obol
| Issuer | United States of the Ionian Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1819 |
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| Reference(s) | KM#32, Pr#19 |
| Obverse description | The winged Lion of St. Mark, the heraldic symbol of the Ionian State, is depicted passant to the right in the center of the field, with a nimbus (halo) above its head and large detailed wings spread upward. To the left stands a fasces surmounted by a cross, symbolizing the union of the Ionian Islands under British protection. The circular legend ΙΟΝΙΚΟΝ ΚΡΑΤΟΣ arcs around the upper field in Greek characters, with the date 1819 positioned prominently in the lower exergual area. The coin is bordered by a fine toothed or beaded rim. |
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| Mintage | 1819 - Without point after date; Proof - 1819 - Without point after date; Proof (Medal strike) - 1819 . - - 8,279,040 |
| Additional information |
The United States of the Ionian Islands was a British protectorate established by the Treaty of Paris in 1815, and its coinage was issued under British supervision while nominally belonging to an autonomous Greek-speaking republic — an awkward fiction that satisfied neither the islanders nor the European powers watching the experiment. The obol denomination itself was a deliberate classicizing choice, reaching back to ancient Greek monetary vocabulary to lend the new state a veneer of Hellenic legitimacy.
British India's Soho Mint connections influenced production of these early issues, though the series is relatively scarce in all grades given the islands' small population and the denomination's workhorse role in daily commerce.