Greece 1876-A 100 drachmai
This specimen was lot 1100 in Sincona sale 50 (Zürich, October 2018), where it sold for 40,000 CHF (about US$48,248 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Georg I. 1863-1913. 100 Drachmen 1876. Kopf des Königs nach links gewandt, darunter die Jahreszahl. Rv. Wappen auf gekröntem Wappenmantel. Unten die Wertangabe. Von grösster Seltenheit. Nur 76 Exemplare geprägt. Fast vorzüglich. (kingdom of Greece, George I, 1863-1913, one hundred drachmas of 1876. Obverse: king's bust right, date below; reverse: mantled arms, value below. Of the highest rarity. Only 76 pieces struck, About extremely fine.)"
This one-year type was struck in Paris for king George I (1863-1913) to the standard of a French hundred francs. Greece, poor, backward, corrupt and riven by feuds, could ill afford a substantial gold coinage and this is the only issue.
Recorded mintage: 76 plus proofs.
Specification: 32.25 g, 0.900 fine gold, this specimen 32.22 g.
Catalog reference: Divo 44. Schl. 4. Fr-13, KM 51.
- Jean-Paul Divo, Modern Greek Coins, 1828-1968. Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman NV, 1968.
- 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.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Sincona Jubilee Auction 50, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2018.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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