Issued as part of Greece's ongoing "Iris Hellenica" series, which draws on ancient Greek botanical and natural history traditions for its themes. The series was launched by the Bank of Greece as a collector programme rather than a circulation issue, meaning examples were sold directly to the public at a premium over face value and saw virtually no transactional use.
The .333 fineness places this firmly in the lower range of silver coinage — closer to the billon issues of late antiquity than to modern bullion standards. A deliberate commercial choice that keeps production costs manageable for a modest-denomination collector piece.
Issued as part of Greece's ongoing "Iris Hellenica" series, which draws on ancient Greek botanical and natural history traditions for its themes. The series was launched by the Bank of Greece as a collector programme rather than a circulation issue, meaning examples were sold directly to the public at a premium over face value and saw virtually no transactional use.
The .333 fineness places this firmly in the lower range of silver coinage — closer to the billon issues of late antiquity than to modern bullion standards. A deliberate commercial choice that keeps production costs manageable for a modest-denomination collector piece.