20 Qindarka

Albania in 1988 was among the most isolated states on earth — Enver Hoxha had died three years earlier, but his successor Ramiz Alia maintained near-total economic and political closure. Domestic coinage was produced largely for internal circulation in a command economy where consumer goods were rationed and foreign currency criminalized. The aluminium qindarka series of this period was functional currency in the strictest sense: a closed system.

KM#65 is not a scarce piece, but uncirculated survivors with full surface integrity are less common than mintage might suggest — aluminium of this period scratches readily in bulk coin storage.