Catalog
20 Drachmai - George I 1st portrait
| Issuer | Kingdom of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876 |
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| Value | 20 Drachmai |
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| Reverse description | The royal arms of Greece, comprising a quartered shield bearing a white Greek cross on blue, displayed at the centre of an ermine-lined royal mantle draped and tied at the corners, surmounted by a royal crown with cross finial. A ribbon scroll at the base of the shield bears the royal motto ΙΣΧΥΣ ΜΟΥ Η ΑΓΑΠΗ ΤΟΥ ΛΑΟΥ (My Strength is the Love of the People). The circular legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ arcs across the upper field within a beaded border, while the denomination 20 ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ is boldly inscribed in the lower field. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Greece's adoption of the Latin Monetary Union in 1868 obligated Athens to produce gold coinage conforming to LMU specifications — the same standards governing French napoleons, Belgian 20 francs, and Italian 20 lire. This piece is a direct product of that treaty obligation, interchangeable by weight and fineness with its LMU counterparts across member states.
The 1876 date places production at the Paris Mint, which struck the bulk of Greek gold issues during this period given Athens's limited domestic minting capacity. Fr#15 distinguishes this from the second-portrait type introduced later in George I's long reign, which ran from 1863 until his assassination in Thessaloniki in 1913.