Greece 1848 5 lepta
This specimen was lot 41002 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $9,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "GREECE. 5 Lepta, 1848. Athens Mint. Othon. PCGS MS-63 Brown Gold Shield. A sharply struck example of this short-lived issue with smooth brown surfaces that display virtually no marks. A RARITY in this quality, with only five graded at the Mint State tier by PCGS and NGC combined, this coin being tied with one other for the finest certified by PCGS." This type was struck 1847-49. King Otto, originally a Bavarian princeling, fell foul of the local politicians and was forced to abdicate in 1863.
Recorded mintage: unknown but scarce to rare.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: KM-28.
- Jean-Paul Divo, Modern Greek Coins, 1828-1968. Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman NV, 1968.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th 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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