Greece Paul 30 Drachmai

History

30 Drachmai 1963, KM# 86, Greece, Paul, 100th Anniversary of the Glücksburg Dynasty

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

In October 1862, King Otto was deposed in a popular revolt, but while the Greek people rejected Otto, they did not seem averse to the concept of monarchy per se. Many Greeks, seeking closer ties to the pre-eminent world power, the United Kingdom, rallied around the idea that Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, could become the next King. British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston believed that the Greeks were "panting for increase in territory", hoping that the election of Alfred as King would also result in the incorporation of the Ionian Islands, which were then a British protectorate, into an enlarged Greek state.

The London Conference of 1832, however, had prohibited any of the Great Powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, and in any event, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, the Greeks insisted on holding a referendum on the issue of the head of state in November 1862. It was the first referendum ever held in Greece.

Prince Alfred turned down the Kingship and Prince William of Denmark, son of Prince Christian of Denmark, was elected by the National Assembly to become King George I of the Hellenes.

Obverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Fish Geography & astronomy Map Navy (ship, submarine etc.) Trireme A map of Greece above value (∆P = ∆PaXMaÌ = Drachmai), the inscription "Kingdom of Greece" above. Mentioned Greek regions: Macedonia, Thrace, Aegean Islands, Dodecanese, Epirus, Thessaly, Crete and Eptanese. Mintmark of the Paris Mint: Cornucopia Engraver general's privy mark: Owl (Raymond Joly, 1958-1974) Engraver: V. Falireas ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ ΘΡΑΚΗ ΗΠΕΙΡΟΣ ΕΠΤΑΝΗΣΟΣ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΙΑ ΝΗΣΟΙ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΥ ΔΩΔΕΚΑΝΗΣΟΣ 30 ΔΡ. ΚΡΗΤΗ B.ФAPHPÉAS
Reverse	Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Paul, George I of Greece, George II of Greece Depicts a crowned Greek coat of arms behind five kings of the House of Glücksburg, clockwise from the top: Paul, George II, Alexander, Constantine I and George I. Dates on top, "Glory" in Grek between portraits. The House of Glücksburg (also spelled Glücksborg), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a Dano-German branch of the House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times in Denmark, Norway, Greece and several northern German states. George I (1845–1913) was King of Greece from 1863 until his assassination in 1913. Constantine I (1868–1923) was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece expanded to include Thessaloniki, doubling in area and population. Alexander (1893–1920) was King of Greece from 11 June 1917 until his death three years later, at the age of 27, from the effects of a monkey bite. George II (1890–1947) reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947. Paul (1901–1964) was King of Greece from 1947 until his death in 1964. 1863 1963 ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟC Α. ΠΑΥΛΟC Α. 1947 1913 ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟC A. ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟC Β. 1922 ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟC A. 1917 ΔΟΞΑ
Edge	Inscribed (lettered) The motto of the dynasty: People's love, my strength Ι Σ Χ Υ Σ Μ Ο Υ Η Α Γ Α Π Η Τ Ο Υ Λ Α Ο Υ