5 Drachmai - Othon

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.