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5 Drachmai - Othon
| Issuer | Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Drachmai |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed effigy of King Othon of Greece facing left, depicted in mature portrait with short wavy hair and a prominent moustache, rendered in high relief against a smooth field. The bust is truncated at the shoulder and positioned centrally within the coin. The circumferential Greek legend reads ΟΘΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ (Othon King of Greece), running along the inner border of a dentilated rim. The portrait is executed in a neoclassical style characteristic of mid-19th century European royal coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΟΘΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ (Translation: OTHON KING OF GREECE) |
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| Additional information |
Othon — the Bavarian prince installed as Greece's first modern king in 1832 — faced chronic fiscal instability throughout his reign, and the 1851 five drachmai issue was struck under persistent pressure from the protecting powers (Britain, France, and Russia) to maintain a credible coinage system. The mint contract went to Paris, where all of Greece's major silver was produced during this period, Athens lacking the infrastructure for serious coin production.
Othon was deposed by military coup in 1862, making this one of the final decades of his coinage. Survivors in collectible condition are scarce; most circulated hard in a cash-poor rural economy.