Catalog
50 000 Drams Tigran the Great
| Issuer | Central Bank of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1998 |
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| Currency | Dram (2003-2023) |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the Coat of Arms of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, featuring an eagle displayed with a shield on its breast, set within a radiate surround and framed by olive branches, all rendered in high relief against a mirror-polished field. The denomination 50000 appears in the lower field beneath the arms. The year 1998 is inscribed at the top of the coin, flanked by stylized feather ornaments. The circular legend in Armenian script reads ԼԵՌՆԱՅԻՆ ՂԱՐԱԲԱՂԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ ԱՐՑԱԽ along the upper border, with ՀԻՍՈՒՆ ՀԱՋԱՐ ԱՐՑԱԽՅԱՆ ԴՐԱՄ along the lower border. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 1998 ԼԵՌՆԱՅԻՆ ՂԱՐԱԲԱՂԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ ԱՐՑԱԽ 50000 ՀԻՍՈՒՆ ՀԱՋԱՐ ԱՐՑԱԽՅԱՆ ԴՐԱՄ |
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| Additional information |
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, though it has never received recognition from any United Nations member state — including Armenia, whose military effectively backed its existence. Issuing coinage was a deliberate act of statecraft, and this 1998 series, denominated in drams and invoking Tigran the Great as a symbol of Armenian imperial antiquity, was produced primarily for export sale rather than domestic circulation.
At 155.5 grams of .999 silver, this is a five-troy-ounce piece — a format used almost exclusively in the collector bullion market of the late 1990s.