Catalog
5 Drachmai - George I Pattern
| Issuer | Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Greek |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The crowned royal arms of Greece displayed within an ermine-lined royal mantle tied with tasselled cords. The shield bears a white Greek cross on a blue field, supported by two lion supporters below, with the motto ribbon inscribed ΙΣΧΥΣ ΜΟΥ Η ΑΓΑΠΗ ΤΟΥ ΛΑΟΥ (My strength is the love of my people). The word ESSAI appears in the left field. The circular legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ runs along the upper periphery, and the denomination 5 ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ is inscribed in the lower exergue. |
| 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 |
Pattern coinage for Greece in the 1870s was largely driven by the country's membership negotiations with the Latin Monetary Union, which Greece formally joined in 1867. This piece dates to a period when the Greek government was actively testing designs and specifications against LMU standards before committing to full production runs. Whether this specific pattern was submitted for official review or struck speculatively by the Paris mint — which handled much of Greece's coinage during this period — is not firmly established in the literature.
KM#E12 is genuinely rare in any condition. Pattern survivorship from this era depends heavily on how many examples were distributed to officials versus retained by the mint.