Common questions

What is a drachma made of?

What is a drachma made of?

Initially a drachma was a fistful (a “grasp”) of six oboloí or obeloí (metal sticks, literally “spits”) used as a form of currency as early as 1100 BC and being a form of “bullion”: bronze, copper, or iron ingots denominated by weight.

How much are drachma coins worth?

However, some historians have estimated that in the 5th century BC a drachma had a rough value of 25 U.S. dollars (in the year 1990 – equivalent to 40 USD in 2006). A skilled worker in Athens or a hoplite could earn about one drachma a day.

How much is a 10 drachma coin worth?

$ 0.51

Month Worth
Jan 1, 2021 0.55
Dec 1, 2020 0.54
Nov 1, 2020 0.53
Oct 1, 2020 0.53

How many coins are in a drachma?

6
One drachma equaled 6 oboli; 100 drachmas equaled 1 mine; and 60 mine equaled 1 Attic talent. As a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Athenian drachma came to be the monetary unit of the Hellenistic world.

How did Greeks make their coins?

Greek coins were made by hand. The design for the one side was carved into a block of bronze or possibly iron, called a die. The design for the other side was carved into a similar punch. Athenian coins were also minted to an extremely high standard of purity.

What was the weight of the first drachma coin?

The first coinage consisted of copper denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 lepta, silver denominations of ​ 1⁄4, ​ 1⁄2, 1 and 5 drachmae and a gold coin of 20 drachmae. The drachma coin weighed 4.5 g and contained 90% silver, with the 20-drachma coin containing 5.8 g of gold.

What kind of money was the Athenian drachma?

Similar bundles…. money: Metallic money. …the Roman Empire) the Athenian drachma had an almost constant silver content (67 grains of fine silver until Alexander, 65 grains thereafter) and became the standard coin of trade in Greece and in much of Asia and Europe as well.

What does the number 100 mean on a drachma?

It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members. Greece 1 Drachma 1954. KM#81. One Dollar coin. Paul l. First year issue.

Who was the Greek philosopher on 5 drachma coins?

The following 5 drachma coins have circulated in Greece until the introduction of the Common European Currency on January 1, 2002: Aristotle (384-322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and scientist, who shares with Plato and Socrates the distinction of being the most famous of the ancient philosophers.

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