Rare Coins of the Republika E Shqiperise.

Rare Coins and Banknotes of

the Republika E Shqiperise
By Uncle Monty
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Trying to find old Albanian coins while I was in

Tirana proved a difficult task has I found no coins

shops anywhere in the city of almost 1 million folkz.

And trying to find antiques or collectibles of any

kind was more of an arduous task than trying
to find some old coins. What few old coins and

old banknotes I did eventually find of Albania was

just by chance after browsing in several jewellery

shop windows and an old book shop or two.

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In one bookshop on Kajo Karaafili, the owner had a

big shoebox of old European coins and a few American
Indian heads from the late 19th century. But when I

found an old Albanian 1929 silver 100 Lekë he made a

big song and dance about it and he wouldn’t sell it to me

unless I paid him 15,000 Lekë (or about $300.00 or 150

quid) for it. Crazy. While at one jewellery shop on Rruga e

Dibrës, I was offered two small Albanian 1967 gold coins

for Є1000.00 for the set. But they were no more than

perhaps one or two penny weights of gold at most.

Plus, as coins they were circulated and the mint
condition was, of course, already gone.
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So, what I did find were pretty inferior and very low
grade aluminium coins going back only to the 1940's
at a street market of used stuff on Jordan Misja. Since

I didn’t have any Albanian coins in my growing world

collection, I thought I’d take whatever I could just

to have such coins. I paid little or nothing for them.

But the coins worthy of really having were put out
of my reach or so expensive they simply made
no sense to even try to buy them.
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The short history of Albanian gold coins goes some-

thing according to one brief reference I could find:
“Albania's first gold coins were issued in 1926, under

President Ahmed Zogu, who in 1928 went on to proclaim

himself King Zog I in 1928. These are denominated in Franga

Ari (singular = frang ar). The word frang is related linguist-

ically to the Franc, and it is possible that the word 'Ar' relates

to argent, argentum, or Ar, meaning silver. After the occupation

by Italy in 1939, they were nominated in Lek (plural leki). There

are 5 lek = 1 frang. According to Krause (World Coin Book, 1991)

100 quindar leku = 1 lek, and 100 quindar ara = 1 frang ari.

It would appear that the word "quindar" means hundredth

or cent, to which it appears also to be phonetically related.

The plural of "quindar" is quindarka.”

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Above and below:

The Obverse/Reverse of

1927 Albanian Gold 100 Franka

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KING ZOG I OF ALBANIA


Born as Ahmet Muhtar Bey Zogolli, he changed his family

name to Zogu meaning "bird" in the Albanian language,

dropping the Turkish suffix "olli (oğlu)", meaning "son

of". He was fond of gold coins and horded them during

his 11 year reign from 1928 to 1939. He died April 9th,

1961, and exactly 47 years later, ironcially, to the day of

his death in first posted these comments of mine about

him. To learn more about his life:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zog_of_Albania

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The only old item (shown below) that I found in Tirana

was a tattered Albanian banknotes from the 1914 bank

issue of 20 Gold Franka issued before the reign

of King Zog:

The Reverse of the 1914 Albanian bank issue of 20 Gold Franka

This then is the last of my series on my visit to Albania.
However, I may just post some of my other photo-
graphic snapshots of Tirana in the near future.
Otherwise, I will wrap all of this up for now.

Truly, Uncle Monty.
+St. Bride's Day, 2oo8.