***** O F F E R *****
GREECE. 20 DRACHMAI
YEAR : 1973 {A}
King : Constantine II
Olive branch & CROWN
Condition : eXtra Fine to
Almost UNCirculated
Mintage : 3.100.00
GREEK COIN [ KM#: 111 ] ,
Weight (gr): 11.95
| Composition | : Copper - Nickel |
| Edge | : Smooth |
[ Greek Kingdom ]
GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC.
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The phoenix, or phenix (Greek: Φοίνιξ Greek pronunciation: ['finiks], Persian: ققنوس, Arabic: العنقاء أو طائر الفينيق, Chinese: 鳳凰 or 不死鳥, Hebrew: פניקס), is a mythical sacred fire bird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indians and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians.
It is described as a bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into people.
The phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death in the ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology. According to the Greeks, the bird lives in Arabia, near a cool well and every morning at dawn, the sun god would stop his chariot to listen to the bird sing. Only one phoenix exists at a time. When the bird felt its death was near, every 500 to 1,461 years, it would build a nest of aromatic wood and set it on fire.
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Nymph (Greek: νύμφη, nymphē) in Greek mythology is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and daughters of the Greek polis. They are believed to dwell in mountains and groves, by springs and rivers, and also in trees and in valleys and cool grottoes. Although they would never die of old age nor illness, and could give birth to fully immortal children if mated to a god, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to death in various forms. Charybdis and Scylla were once nymphs.
Other nymphs, always in the shape of young maidens, were part of the retinue of a god, such as Dionysus, Hermes, or Pan, or a goddess, generally the huntress Artemis. Nymphs were the frequent target of satyrs. They are frequently associated with the superior divinities : the huntress Artemis, the prophetic Apollo, the reveller and god of wine, Dionysus; and rustic gods such as Pan and Hermes.
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Constantine II of Greece
Constantine II (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Βʹ, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Konstantínos Βʹ, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; born 2 June 1940) was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family.
He succeeded his father Paul in March 1964, being styled His Majesty Constantine II, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Βʹ, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων). Although the accession of the young monarch was initially regarded auspiciously, his reign soon became controversial: Constantine's involvement in the Apostasia of July 1965 made him unpopular in broad parts of the population and aggravated the ongoing political instability that culminated in the Colonels' Coup of 21 April 1967.
The coup stood on scant legitimate ground until Constantine, as head of state, agreed to inaugurate the putschist government, thereby legitimizing it; this act became the subject of much criticism. On 13 December 1967, he was forced to flee the country following an abortive counter-coup against the junta, although he remained de jure head of state until 1 June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy and declared a republic.
This abolition was confirmed after the fall of the junta by a plebiscite on 8 December 1974, which established the Third Hellenic Republic. Constantine has never officially abdicated and remains a pretender to the Greek throne. He has continued to live abroad since 1967, but enters and leaves his native country freely and has a house on the coastal resort of Saronida, outside Athens.
Early life
Constantine was born at Psychiko, a plush suburb in northern Athens, the nephew of King George II and the second child and only son of the king's brother and heir-presumptive, Crown Prince Paul. His mother was Crown Princess Frederika, the former Princess Frederika of Hanover. Constantine's older sister Sofia is the current queen consort of Spain, while his younger sister, Princess Irene, has not married.
He was one year old when Nazi Germany invaded Greece, and he spent the next four years in exile in Egypt and Cape Town, (where his sister Irene was born), with his family. He returned to Greece with his family in 1946. King George died in 1947, and his brother became King Paul, making Constantine crown prince. He was educated at a preparatory school and later a boarding school where he was an above average student academically. A fellow student recalled him as, "a good chap, a young man with all the right instincts. He was at his best on the playing fields."
Constantine served in all the three armed services, attending the requisite military academies. He also attended the NATO Air Force Special Weapons School in Germany, as well as the Athens University where he undertook courses at the law school.
As a young man, Crown Prince Constantine was a keen sportsman. In 1960, at the age of 20, he competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal in sailing (Dragon Class). He was also a strong swimmer and has a black belt in karate, with interests in squash, track events and riding.
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Condition :
The coins my opinion characterized : XF - AU
You will take that you see in photographs of sale.
The price is for each coin.
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