Lebanon 1961 5 piastres
This specimen was lot 45270 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $95. The catalog description[1] noted, "LEBANON. 5 Piastres, 1961. Paris Mint. PCGS MS-67+ Gold Shield. Light toning over rich and unbroken mint frost, this is not only the sole finest graded of the year but of the entire KM-21 type. The Cedars Collection of Lebanese Coinage, 1924-1961." This specimen was issued by Lebanon as a regular issue in 1955 and 1961. Similar types were issued in other metals up to 1975. In 1980, war broke out between Christian and Muslim militias and soon the Israeli and Syrian armies were occupying various parts of that unhappy land. The cedar is the symbol of Lebanon, once forested with this handsome tree.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.85 g, aluminum bronze.
Catalog reference: KM-21.
- 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.
Link to: