Catalog
1 Obol Trial
| Issuer | Ionian Islands, United States of the (1815-1864) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1819 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Britannia seated to the left upon a rocky plinth, draped in classical robes, holding a trident upright in her right hand and resting her left hand upon an olive branch extending from the ground. A large Union shield leans against her right side. The engraver's initials W.W. for William Wyon appear in the lower exergue, and the legend BRITANNIA. arcs around the upper field within a toothed border, the whole executed in the refined neoclassical style characteristic of Wyon's work. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The United States of the Ionian Islands was a British protectorate established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, administered under a Lord High Commissioner and possessing its own currency — the obol and lepton system introduced partly to replace the chaotic mix of Venetian, French, and Ottoman coinage still circulating across the islands. This 1819 piece is a pattern or trial strike, almost certainly produced in London before any formal coinage was committed to production, as was standard practice for British-administered territories seeking Treasury and Colonial Office approval.
The copper trial series for the Ionian Islands is notably complex, with multiple Pn and Pr variants recorded by Pridmore — this particular piece being among the heavier trials, suggesting it may represent an early weight standard that was subsequently revised downward.