Calling Syracusian

bosox

Dimitri,

My 14 year old daughter collects Greek coins, mostly modern circulated minors due to her modest budget. She was looking at my 19th century Krause and became fascinated by the 1828 Phoenix, probably because of the name and the fact that is a one year series. Maybe she is just angling for Dad to buy her a really scarce coin. I was wondering if you had one and, if so, could post a picture. She would be jazzed to see a picture of one. Thanks.

Rob

1jester

I think he has one, if I'm not mistaken, and it's in virtually uncirculated condition.

spoon

All the other cool coins he had imaged by DH

Philip

<< <i>

All the other cool coins he had imaged by DH >>



MS-62, IIRC.

JZrarities

Whoever owns that 1 Connie with original toning...Syracusan I think...

IT IS MY FAVORITE COIN.

I love the Phoenix and the original color... (sigh)

bosox

Thanks for the neat picture. It's a beautiful coin.

~Emily

SYRACUSIAN

Hi Emily,

sorry for the delayed reply, it's so nice to see you posting here. Here's a bit of extra information on this first modern silver Greek coin:

(from JP Divo's Modern Greek Coins)

Accurate information about the coins issued during the presidency of Count John Capodistrias is scarce.The seat of the government was in Nauphlia,but the coins of the new Greece were struck on the island of Aegina.There the mint was housed in the presidential residence which still stands today.
At the outset there were no facilities for minting coins in Aegina.It was decided to send the Greek merchant Alexander Kontostavlos to Malta, to try to secure the mintpresses of the Order of St John from the British Governor, Sir Frederick Hanckey, a well known philhellene.Contostavlos' mission was successful and the equipment was shipped to Aegina without delay so that minting could begin in 1828.
A total of five denominations were struck, one ion silver and four in copper. The coins were all of the same design with a phoenix on the obverse and a wreath on the reverse.The four Greek characters awka appearing below the phoenix give the date 1821, the year the Greek rebellion began*.As a denomination the phoenix (the name derives from the obverse design) is unique in the history of coinage. It has a silver content of 943/1000 fine and a weight of 3.65 grams.The lepton (1/100th of a phoenix) was a revival of the denomination used in ancient times that still circulates in Greece today**.It is related that the silver needed to produce the phoenix was supplied by the Russian government and that a total of 12000 pieces were struck. No mintage figures are known for the copper coins which were reputed to have been struck from the metal of Venitian guns.
The engravers of these coins were, according to Forrer: Constantinos Vizantiou (alias Dimitrios Hatzis) an Armenian jeweller responsible for the silver phoenix dated 1828; George, called "the master", a native of Kariteno engraved the copper coins of 1828 and 1830, and Dimitrios Kontos who engraved the last coins dated 1831.Only the silver coin bears mintmarks: an anchor and another the significance of which is rather a mystery.


* against the Ottomans, that ended successfully in 1827
** since 2002 the lepton has been replaced by the eurocent

the asterisks are my notes, as the otherwise good book of Jean Paul Divo was printed in 1969.




Again, welcome to the Darkside Emily, it already gives me a lot of pleasure to read your dad's excellent posts and look at his fine red cents,but I would be even happier to see you posting here too. Ask whatever you want to know about Greek coins, in public or via PM if you prefer,but try to stay away from 1500+ posts threads.


Dimitri


PS: Jester I am really impressed, your description is more accurate than the actual coin's 62 grade. Spoon, thank you.

1jester

No need to be impressed, Sir Dimitri, but thanks. The coin is awesome!

Welcome to the Darkside, Emily!!