Albania 1937-R 20 franga ari
This specimen was lot 23017 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $2,160. The catalog description[1] noted, "ALBANIA. 20 Franga Ari, 1937-R. Rome Mint. Zog I. NGC MS-64. Struck to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Independence. An immensely appealing near-Gem, providing a soft sunny luster and limited contact on the surfaces. Always elusive due to the low mintage, and always desired in this wonderful state of preservation. From the Star City Homer Collection." Albania was created in 1912 during the Balkan Wars by the Great Powers as a means of preventing the region from falling into Greek or Serbian control. She was occupied by Austria during World War One but had her independence restored by the Treaty of Versailles. King Zog, tho a ruthless and capable leader, was unable to prevent Albania from falling into Italy's orbit and Mussolini's grandiose plans for the restoration of the Roman Empire. In 1939, Italy invaded and annexed Albania.
Recorded mintage: 2,500.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, 0.1867 troy oz AGW, 21 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Fr-12; KM-20.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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