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5 Para Countermarked ΚΘΣ on Turkey KM-728, AH1293
| Issuer | Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#728 (host coin) |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Reverse of the host Ottoman 5 Para, KM#728, issued under Sultan Abdülhamid II (AH1293). The field displays the ornate Ottoman toughra in flowing Arabic calligraphy, with scrolling foliate elements and intertwined vertical strokes characteristic of the imperial cipher. Surrounding inscriptions in Arabic script indicate the mint and regnal year, though the surface shows considerable wear and patination consistent with extended circulation prior to countermarking. The overall design retains the standard format of late 19th-century Ottoman minor coinage. |
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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.