Albania 1938-R 20 franga ari Fr-14

Stack's Bowers 2023 NYINC sale, lot 23018

This specimen was lot 23018 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $3,600. The catalog description^[1] noted, "ALBANIA. 20 Franga Ari, 1938-R. Rome Mint. Zog I. NGC MS-66. Commemorating the Royal Wedding of the king. A Gem offering of this uncommon type, the present example displays full strike along with soft luster throughout. No evidence of marking besets the luster, and the beauty of this example is evident for all to see. From the Star City Homer Collection." Another twenty franga struck in 1938 celebrated the tenth anniversary of Zog's reign (Fr-17). 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 plus 1,000 of Fr-17.

Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, 0.1867 troy oz AGW, 21 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Fr-14; KM-22.

Source:

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.

Link to:

Albania 1938-R 20 franga ari Fr-14

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