Nomos 31

GREECE. Otho, 1832-1862. 20 Drachmai 1852 (Gold, 21 mm, 5.76 g, 6 h), Athens, struck from dies by K. Lange, reeded edge. ΟΘΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ Mature head of Otto to left. Rev. 20 ΔΡΑΧΜAI 1852 Crowned shield bearing the coat of arms of Greece with the Wittelsbach arms at the center; all within an olive wreath with ties below. Divo P34. Karamitsos T.33. KM Pn19. Graded by NGC "MS 62". Unique in pop report in NGC and PCGS. Cert number: 2908889-001.

From the El-Greco Collection of Modern Greek Rarities, acquired in 1980.

Δέος! is the word Greeks exclaim when they are excited and bewitched by the sight of something extraordinary. And that is what every collector of modern Greek coins feels when he holds this coin in his hand (or her hand as the case may be). It is not just because only 16 pieces were originally minted, of which only three, including this example, are available to private collectors. It is because since when we were young and discovered our love for history and coins, this coin, together with its big brother, the 40 Drachmas of 1852, was for us an unobtainable dream. Yet this dream will become actual reality on the 23rd March 2024 when this “crown jewel of a coin” will change hands and be awarded to a new owner, who will then proudly posses the Holy Grail of Modern Greek Coins.