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1 Drachma Pattern
| Issuer | Kingdom of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1833 |
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| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Central device comprises a quartered heraldic shield displaying alternating lions passant and stylized rosettes or sunbursts within a crosshatched field, surmounted by a royal crown and flanked by elaborate baroque mantling and scrollwork supporters. A crowned lion rampant crest rises above the shield at the apex. The peripheral legend reads ZUR KÖN. MÜNZE IN GRIECHENLAND (meaning 'For the Royal Mint in Greece') in raised Latin capitals, arching around the upper and lower fields. A small cross ornament appears at the base of the design. The engraving is crisp and deeply struck in the German medallic tradition of the early nineteenth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ZUR KÖN. MÜNZE IN GRIECHENLAND |
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| Additional information |
Greece's first coinage as an independent kingdom was issued under Otto I, the Bavarian prince installed as king following the 1832 London Convention. The 1833 patterns — including this copper drachma — were struck in Munich before the Aegina mint had even opened, as the new government scrambled to establish a monetary identity for a country that had been using a patchwork of Ottoman, Venetian, and insurgent coinage throughout the war of independence. Pattern production preceded the official circulating series by a full year.