Catalog
100 Dram King Vramshapouh
| Issuer | Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver (.925) |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 2005 ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԿԵՆՏՐՈՆԱԿԱՆ ԲԱՆԿ 100 ԴՐԱՄ (Translation: Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia 100 Dram) |
| Reverse description | Within a recessed octagonal panel at center, the 38 letters of the Armenian alphabet are displayed in four columns. To the left of the panel stands a full-length effigy of King Vramshapouh in royal robes, facing right, holding a scepter, with his name in Armenian script inscribed vertically beside him. The numeral '1600' and the Armenian legend 'ԱՄՅԱԿ' (Anniversary) appear above the alphabet panel. Decorative floral scrollwork flanks the central panel on both sides. The surrounding border carries the Armenian legend 'ՀԱՅՈՑ ԳՐԵՐԻ ԳՅՈՒՏԻ' at the top and the Latin legend '1600 ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN ALPHABET' along the lower arc. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Vramshapouh ruled Armenia in the early fifth century and is credited — alongside the scholar Mesrop Mashtots — with commissioning the creation of the Armenian alphabet around 405 AD. The script was designed specifically to produce an Armenian-language Bible, breaking the country's dependence on Greek and Syriac liturgical texts. This coin belongs to Armenia's long-running silver commemorative series honoring figures central to that cultural and ecclesiastical history.
Mashtots reportedly presented the first completed alphabet to Vramshapouh in the royal capital of Vagharshapat.