10 Perpera - Nikola I

The 1910 issue marks the year Nikola I formally proclaimed Montenegro a kingdom, elevating himself from prince to king after ruling since 1860. The perpera coinage introduced that same year was part of a deliberate effort to project the trappings of a modern European state — Montenegro had only adopted its own currency system in 1906, abandoning its previous reliance on Austro-Hungarian crowns. Mintage figures for the 10 Perpera gold were modest even by Balkan standards, and the series was cut short when the Balkan Wars disrupted the region within two years.