Albania 20 Leke 1968 Skanderbeg's Helmet, Paris Mint, Rare PR AU-58

Rare. Scratches.

Extremely rare coin, struck at the Paris Mint with a mintage of just 24 pieces. For comparison, the same date struck at the Budapest Mint had a mintage of 2,920 pieces.

On the obverse, to the right of the denomination, the Paris Mint mark – a cornucopia – and the fineness mark can be seen. The present example features the scarcer variant of the fineness mark: “OR 1” (“Gold 1”). Among the few examples of this coin recorded at auction over the past 15 years, the simple “1” mark (without “OR”) is encountered significantly more often.

The coin was struck to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the famous Albanian ruler who successfully resisted the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans for many years. He is regarded as one of history’s most distinguished military commanders and as a symbol of resistance to the Ottoman Empire.

The reverse depicts his distinctive helmet with goat’s horns – a motif also associated with the modern coat of arms of Albania, where Skanderbeg is revered as a national hero. The obverse features the emblem of the People’s Republic of Albania, the denomination, the Paris Mint mark and the fineness mark.

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