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10 Lepta Pattern strike
| Issuer | Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1912 |
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| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ 1912 (Translation: Kingdom of Greece 1912) |
| Reverse description | A finely engraved owl, evoking the classical Athenian type and symbol of Athena, is depicted standing in left profile to the left of the central hole, perched upon the neck of an amphora whose body extends beneath the aperture. An olive branch with leaves is shown to the lower right of the hole, referencing ancient Hellenic iconography. The denomination numeral 10 appears in the upper field to the right of the hole, with the Greek legend ΛΕΠΤΑ below it. The word ESSAI is incused vertically along the upper right inner field, identifying the piece as a pattern or trial strike. The engraver's signature CH. PILLET is inscribed in the lower field in Roman script, and the entire design is enclosed within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Greece's 1912 pattern coinage in nickel was produced experimentally as the government weighed a shift in small-denomination alloys ahead of anticipated monetary reforms. The timing was not incidental — 1912 was the first year of the First Balkan War, during which Greece was actively expanding its territory and its monetary infrastructure was under pressure to modernize in step with a rapidly changing state.
KM#E26 never entered circulation. Pattern survivorship from this period is poorly documented, and confirmed examples rarely surface through Greek or international auction houses.