Crete 1901-A lepton
This specimen was lot 23398 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (Newport Beach, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $100. The catalog description[1] noted, "CRETE. Lepton, 1901-A. Paris Mint. NGC MS-65 Red Brown. A pleasing little Gem with full cartwheel luster and light coppery to brick red color."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 lepton, struck 1900-01, is common in grades up to Extremely Fine.
Recorded mintage: 1,710,717.
Specification: bronze, 15 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2021 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Oro del Nuevo Mundo and Matt Orsini Collections, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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