1957 10 Drachmai

The 1957 10 Drachmai coin is one of the few Greek issues that used aluminum-bronze planchets sourced from post-war scrap, a practical decision amid lingering material shortages.

That alloy gave it a lightweight feel, unusual for a decade-old denomination still in wide use. The obverse shows King Paul in profile, his only appearance on a circulating coin before the monarchy faded. On the reverse, a phoenix rises from flames, symbolizing national rebirth—a motif as overused as it was earnest.

Mintage figures are murky; records from the Athens mint weren't always reliable in those years. What we know is that millions entered circulation, helping grease the wheels of everyday trade in a Greece still shaking off the 1940s.

Some call it unremarkable, and they're not wrong. It's just a coin that did its job.