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5 Para Countermarked ΚΘΣ on Turkey KM-728, AH1293
| Issuer | Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Greek countermark ΚΘΣ (Κρητικὴ Θεσσαλικὴ Σχολή or similar administrative cipher) applied in the central field of the host coin, with the three Greek capital letters arranged in a compact monogram-style grouping. The countermark is boldly struck and clearly legible against the worn surface of the underlying Ottoman billon flan. The regnal year of the host coin has been deliberately obliterated, as is characteristic of this countermarking practice. The host coin reverse, now serving as the countermark side, shows the remnants of the Ottoman toughra of Sultan Abdülhamid II in raised relief. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
During the Greek occupation of parts of Anatolia following the 1919 Smyrna landing, Ottoman small change circulating in the region was countermarked by Greek authorities to legitimize its use under the new administration. The ΚΘΣ mark — standing for Κεντρική Θεματική Στρατιωτική, the central military administration — effectively repatriated enemy coinage into the Greek monetary supply without the cost of new production. The occupation collapsed catastrophically with the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922, and countermarked pieces that survived the subsequent population exchange carry a compressed history of one of the twentieth century's most violent forced migrations.