Crete 1901 drachma
This specimen was lot 44276 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "CRETE. Drachma, 1901. Paris Mint. PCGS EF-45 Gold Shield. A little flat on the high points of this Drachma, but some light peripheral toning remains." Around the turn of the century, the island of Crete was contested by Greece and Turkey. The overwhelmingly Greek population of the island favored union with Greece but the Powers, not wanting to partition Turkey too rapidly, forced the Greek king to accept Turkish suzerainty over his control. This unwieldy arrangement lasted until 1913, when Greece annexed the island. This drachma is scarce but only expensive in XF or better.
Recorded mintage: 500,000.
Specification: 5 g, 0.835 fine silver, 23 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-7; Geo-10.
- 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 August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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