The first step for the creation of National Currency was to calculated the values of the foreign currency in Turkish piastres. One piaster was divided in 40 Parades (1 Paras). One Paras was divided in 3 Aspra (1 Apsro).
1 English Sovereign = 73 Piatres
1 English Crown (1/4 Sovereign) = 17.20 Piastres
1 Spanish Fiver = 15 Piastres
A Free worker's salary was 1,5 piaster (180 Parades) every day. Calculating the price of bread, one kilo of bread coasted half piaster. This info just to understand the situation these days.
When the governor Kapodistrias made the National Currency, The Phoenix, he made the silver phoenix equal to one Spanish Fiver or "Colonato", which value was overrated in the International Market (1 Phoenix = 2.5 Piastres). When they realized their mistake they have already Stricken more that 10.000 coins of this. Some resources say 11.978 and some of them 13.612. The state lost much from this mistake. The paln was also for making golden and more silver and copper coins. So they were planning to make:
()The Copper "Second" equal to Half Lepton!
()The Silver "Half Phoenix" wich was the Half Phoenix.
()The Silver "Aigis" which was the five phoenixes!
()The Silver "Half Aigis" which was Two and a Half Phoenix!
()The Golden "Athena" which was equal to twenty Phoenixes and would show Goddess Athena!!
()And the Golden "Half Athena" which was equal to Ten Phoenixes!
None of these coins were being stricken because there was no Gold at all and not enough silver! It has to be mentioned here that the first plan was to be:
1 Phoenix = 60 Lepta
but they changed it to:
1 Phoenix = 100 Lepta
The machine for the mint of the coins was very old and it was taken from Rhodes to Malta in 1530. The Government brought this machine in Aigin (in the Governor's House) and Stricken the silver phoenixes and the copper coins. The Engravers were Xatzi Grigoris Pyrovolistis, after him George Papakonstantopoulos and after him Dimitris Kontos. The coins are not very good stricken and someone can say that every one of them is a different type. Especially the copper coins. In 1828 they made the first design of the coins. A phoenix with the wings spreaded wide looking at a large cross. In 1830 first the keep the size and the design. But then they strike coins with a new design. The phoenix looks somehow "younger", the wings are not spreaded so wide, the circle is not solid anymore but chain and the cross is smaller. The size is reduced but not the weight. Many varieties of the 1830 second type coins depend on the dots next to the date if they exist and how many they are. BUT not the weight. In 1831 design is a bit different but not the size anymore. The size of the 1 Lepton coins is between 16 and 17mm so it doesn't matter so much. The size of the 5 Lepta coins is 29 and 26 mm. The size of the 10 Lepta coins is between 35 and 31mm. As it was mentioned before nobody can separate the types of the 1830 coins.It is easier for someone to see two different varieties than two similar coins. A Very strange variety concerns the 1830B type of 5 and 10 Lepta. The diameter has been reduced because of the new design, however some of these coins have the old diameter. Seems like the did strike some coins of the second 1830 type at the previous' type disks. Almost all of what I've seen are different. The 20 Lepta are just one types far as I know but with some varieties too. The same with the Phoenix, there are no varieties!
In the 1st of March 1830 the rate was:
1 British Crown = 7 Phoenixes
The resources that we have for the Lepta don't agree in the quantity of the pieces that were Stricken. I have in my hand P. Pylarinos Catalogue, G.K. Papadopoulos, A Tzamalis and C.L. Krause. Check them and make your own conclutions:
P. Pylarinos: 1.305.848 20 Lepta Coins, 2.884.895 10 Lepta Coins, 642.074 5 Lepta Coins and 1.312.400 1 Lepton Coins.
G.K. Papadopoulos: 2.272.650 20 Lepta Coins, 2.962.880 10 Lepta Coins, 802.074 5 Lepta Coins and 1.508.285 1 Lepton Coins.
Another more detailed table from A. Tzamalis taken from inspectors' inventories delievery-receipt writes this:
Values 17.6.1830 17.5.1832 2.2.1833 Sum
1 Lepton 505.995 866.405 145.885 1.518.285
5 Lepta 422.218 379.856 - 802.074
10 Lepta 483.880 2.402.311 31.789 2.916.980
20 Lepta - 1.305.848 966.802 2.272.650
1 Phoenix 11.978 - - 11.978
In May 1830 Xatzi Grigoris Pyrovolkistris stoped his works and George Papakonstantopoulos started.
From Krause Catalogue we have the following table:
Values 1828 1830 A Type 1830 B Type 1831
1 Lepton 480.000 26.000 400.000 612.000
5 Lepta 400.000 22.000 150.000 230.000
10 Lepta 450.000 34.000 1.200.000 1.223.000
20 Lepta - - - 2.273.000
1 Phoenix 12.000 - - -
What we see is that Krause, Papadopoulos(see the tables bellow) and Tzamalis somehow agree. The numbers of Kruse for the 1830A type coins are very small. They are not so hard to find so to be the 1/10 to 1/20 of the 1828 type. Imagine that the mintage of the 2 Lepta coins of 1836 is 40.000 and they appear so but so rarely. However it is not impossible. If we sumarize the mintages from 1828 and 1830A type from the last table we can find the mintages of Tzamalis and Papadopoulos. So we can say that the first type coins were struck until June 1830 and the dies were engraved by X.G.Pyrovolistis. However we can not say which dies were engraved by George Papakonstantopoulos and Dimitris Kontos after June 1830.It could be second type engraved by G. Papakonstantopoulos and third type by D. Kontos.
I will place some varieties taken from multiple sources here but I believe there are more.
1 Lepton 1828
Inverted rays, Different position of the Rays, Different Number of Rays, Different Number of Wings, KYBERNITHS instead of KYBERNHTHS, KAPODIT_TIAS instead of KAPODISTRIAS, different number of olives, Medal Strike, Differences at the size of the flames, differences at the size and the position of the cross at the size of the leafs, different binding of brunches.
1 Lepton 1830 B
Different position or number of the rays, different number of wings, different starting postion of the word "ELLINIKH", 1, 2 or No dots next to date.
1 Lepton 1831
No Rays, Different position or Number or Rays.
5 Lepta 1828
Different type stars, Inverted rays, Different position and number of the rays, different position of the cross, diffetent distance between the brunches and different binding, ELLHNIK_ instead of ELLHNIKH.
5 lepta 1830 B
Different position and number of the rays, diffetent distance between the brunches and different binding, different size of flames, CoinStrike, different distance between the stars, different number of wings, Larger size disk, "Invisible" 5! 1, 2 or No dots next to date.
5 Lepta 1831
Different distance between the brunches.
10 Lepta 1828
Inverted rays, Different size and position of rays, Different number of wings, different binding and distance of bucnhes different distance between the 10 and the LEPTA, different stanrting position of the word KYBERNHTHS.
10 Lepta 1830 A
Different distance between the stars, different size of wings, different position of the rays.
10 Lepta 1830 B
Inverted rays, Different position and number of the rays, different number of wings, different distance between the wings, Coin Strike, different dustance betweeb the stars, different number of olives, different size of the cross, different position of the cross, bronze color, Larger size disk, 1, 2 or No dots next to date. 1, 2 or No dots next to "".
10 Lepta 1831
Smaller phoenix and letters, different size and position of the rays, different distance between the brunches, KYBERN_THS instead of KYBERNHTHS..
20 Lepta 1831
Different size and position of the rays, different distance between the brαnches.
1 English Sovereign = 73 Piatres
1 English Crown (1/4 Sovereign) = 17.20 Piastres
1 Spanish Fiver = 15 Piastres
A Free worker's salary was 1,5 piaster (180 Parades) every day. Calculating the price of bread, one kilo of bread coasted half piaster. This info just to understand the situation these days.
When the governor Kapodistrias made the National Currency, The Phoenix, he made the silver phoenix equal to one Spanish Fiver or "Colonato", which value was overrated in the International Market (1 Phoenix = 2.5 Piastres). When they realized their mistake they have already Stricken more that 10.000 coins of this. Some resources say 11.978 and some of them 13.612. The state lost much from this mistake. The paln was also for making golden and more silver and copper coins. So they were planning to make:
()The Copper "Second" equal to Half Lepton!
()The Silver "Half Phoenix" wich was the Half Phoenix.
()The Silver "Aigis" which was the five phoenixes!
()The Silver "Half Aigis" which was Two and a Half Phoenix!
()The Golden "Athena" which was equal to twenty Phoenixes and would show Goddess Athena!!
()And the Golden "Half Athena" which was equal to Ten Phoenixes!
None of these coins were being stricken because there was no Gold at all and not enough silver! It has to be mentioned here that the first plan was to be:
1 Phoenix = 60 Lepta
but they changed it to:
1 Phoenix = 100 Lepta
The machine for the mint of the coins was very old and it was taken from Rhodes to Malta in 1530. The Government brought this machine in Aigin (in the Governor's House) and Stricken the silver phoenixes and the copper coins. The Engravers were Xatzi Grigoris Pyrovolistis, after him George Papakonstantopoulos and after him Dimitris Kontos. The coins are not very good stricken and someone can say that every one of them is a different type. Especially the copper coins. In 1828 they made the first design of the coins. A phoenix with the wings spreaded wide looking at a large cross. In 1830 first the keep the size and the design. But then they strike coins with a new design. The phoenix looks somehow "younger", the wings are not spreaded so wide, the circle is not solid anymore but chain and the cross is smaller. The size is reduced but not the weight. Many varieties of the 1830 second type coins depend on the dots next to the date if they exist and how many they are. BUT not the weight. In 1831 design is a bit different but not the size anymore. The size of the 1 Lepton coins is between 16 and 17mm so it doesn't matter so much. The size of the 5 Lepta coins is 29 and 26 mm. The size of the 10 Lepta coins is between 35 and 31mm. As it was mentioned before nobody can separate the types of the 1830 coins.It is easier for someone to see two different varieties than two similar coins. A Very strange variety concerns the 1830B type of 5 and 10 Lepta. The diameter has been reduced because of the new design, however some of these coins have the old diameter. Seems like the did strike some coins of the second 1830 type at the previous' type disks. Almost all of what I've seen are different. The 20 Lepta are just one types far as I know but with some varieties too. The same with the Phoenix, there are no varieties!
In the 1st of March 1830 the rate was:
1 British Crown = 7 Phoenixes
The resources that we have for the Lepta don't agree in the quantity of the pieces that were Stricken. I have in my hand P. Pylarinos Catalogue, G.K. Papadopoulos, A Tzamalis and C.L. Krause. Check them and make your own conclutions:
P. Pylarinos: 1.305.848 20 Lepta Coins, 2.884.895 10 Lepta Coins, 642.074 5 Lepta Coins and 1.312.400 1 Lepton Coins.
G.K. Papadopoulos: 2.272.650 20 Lepta Coins, 2.962.880 10 Lepta Coins, 802.074 5 Lepta Coins and 1.508.285 1 Lepton Coins.
Another more detailed table from A. Tzamalis taken from inspectors' inventories delievery-receipt writes this:
Values 17.6.1830 17.5.1832 2.2.1833 Sum
1 Lepton 505.995 866.405 145.885 1.518.285
5 Lepta 422.218 379.856 - 802.074
10 Lepta 483.880 2.402.311 31.789 2.916.980
20 Lepta - 1.305.848 966.802 2.272.650
1 Phoenix 11.978 - - 11.978
In May 1830 Xatzi Grigoris Pyrovolkistris stoped his works and George Papakonstantopoulos started.
From Krause Catalogue we have the following table:
Values 1828 1830 A Type 1830 B Type 1831
1 Lepton 480.000 26.000 400.000 612.000
5 Lepta 400.000 22.000 150.000 230.000
10 Lepta 450.000 34.000 1.200.000 1.223.000
20 Lepta - - - 2.273.000
1 Phoenix 12.000 - - -
What we see is that Krause, Papadopoulos(see the tables bellow) and Tzamalis somehow agree. The numbers of Kruse for the 1830A type coins are very small. They are not so hard to find so to be the 1/10 to 1/20 of the 1828 type. Imagine that the mintage of the 2 Lepta coins of 1836 is 40.000 and they appear so but so rarely. However it is not impossible. If we sumarize the mintages from 1828 and 1830A type from the last table we can find the mintages of Tzamalis and Papadopoulos. So we can say that the first type coins were struck until June 1830 and the dies were engraved by X.G.Pyrovolistis. However we can not say which dies were engraved by George Papakonstantopoulos and Dimitris Kontos after June 1830.It could be second type engraved by G. Papakonstantopoulos and third type by D. Kontos.
I will place some varieties taken from multiple sources here but I believe there are more.
1 Lepton 1828
Inverted rays, Different position of the Rays, Different Number of Rays, Different Number of Wings, KYBERNITHS instead of KYBERNHTHS, KAPODIT_TIAS instead of KAPODISTRIAS, different number of olives, Medal Strike, Differences at the size of the flames, differences at the size and the position of the cross at the size of the leafs, different binding of brunches.
1 Lepton 1830 B
Different position or number of the rays, different number of wings, different starting postion of the word "ELLINIKH", 1, 2 or No dots next to date.
1 Lepton 1831
No Rays, Different position or Number or Rays.
5 Lepta 1828
Different type stars, Inverted rays, Different position and number of the rays, different position of the cross, diffetent distance between the brunches and different binding, ELLHNIK_ instead of ELLHNIKH.
5 lepta 1830 B
Different position and number of the rays, diffetent distance between the brunches and different binding, different size of flames, CoinStrike, different distance between the stars, different number of wings, Larger size disk, "Invisible" 5! 1, 2 or No dots next to date.
5 Lepta 1831
Different distance between the brunches.
10 Lepta 1828
Inverted rays, Different size and position of rays, Different number of wings, different binding and distance of bucnhes different distance between the 10 and the LEPTA, different stanrting position of the word KYBERNHTHS.
10 Lepta 1830 A
Different distance between the stars, different size of wings, different position of the rays.
10 Lepta 1830 B
Inverted rays, Different position and number of the rays, different number of wings, different distance between the wings, Coin Strike, different dustance betweeb the stars, different number of olives, different size of the cross, different position of the cross, bronze color, Larger size disk, 1, 2 or No dots next to date. 1, 2 or No dots next to "".
10 Lepta 1831
Smaller phoenix and letters, different size and position of the rays, different distance between the brunches, KYBERN_THS instead of KYBERNHTHS..
20 Lepta 1831
Different size and position of the rays, different distance between the brαnches.