GREECE : 2 Euros ( Greek  Coin )   

Special  issue B-UNC

YEAR : 2014

This coin is  COMMEMORATIVE

for  the  150  years   from  the 

Unification of the Ionian Islands

to  the  Greek  state

1864 - 2014

The main Ionian Islands are : 

• Corfu, 
• Paxos, 
• Lefkas, 
• Kefalonia, 
• Ithaca, 
• Zakynthos and 
• Cythera

RRR : Extremely Rare coin  !!!

Coin designed by :  G. Stamatopoulos

Date  of  Issue : 24 September 2014

Only  7.500  pieces

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Diameter	25.75 mm
Thickness	2.20 mm
Weight	8.50 gr
Composition	Ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass (75% copper - 20% zinc - 5% nickel)
Edge	Edge lettering (Hellenic Republic), fine milled

!!!   GUARANTEED    AUTHENTIC   !!!

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2 euros   

150th Anniversary from the unification 

of the Ionian Islands

to

the Greek state

The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek :  Ιόνια νησιά, Ionia nisia, Ancient Greek, Katharevousa : Ἰόνιοι Νῆσοι, Ionioi Nēsoi, Italian : Isole Ionie) are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the  Heptanese,  i.e. "the Seven Islands" (Greek : Ἑπτάνησα, Heptanēsa or Ἑπτάνησος, Heptanēsos, Italian : Eptaneso), but the group includes many smaller islands as well as the seven principal ones.

Unification Of The Ionian Islands

The 21st May marks the date in 1864 when the Ionian islands were reunited with the rest of Greece.

It's a bank holiday with local bands and marching in the squares of Argostoli and Lixouri.

History Of The Unification

After the French Revolution of 1848, an insurrection broke out in Kefalonia as there was a strong feeling towards re-uniting Kefalonia and the rest of the Ionian islands to Greece. This was rigorously put down by the British by 1849. From that time, however, the first vote of the Chamber, whenever it assembled, was in favour of the union with Greece, after which vote it was immediately dissolved. The British Government, after sending Mr. Gladstone to investigate the situation in the Ionian islands decided to surrender the islands to Greece. King George I, upon ascending the throne at Athens, in 1863, consented to succeed Otho I only upon England's undertaking to cede the Ionian Archipelago to the Hellenic Kingdom. This cession was effected between 21 May and 2 June 1864. Since that time the Ionians have formed the three nomarchies, or departments, of Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos.

Geography

The seven are, from north to south :

• KERKYRA (Κέρκυρα) usually known as Corfu in English and Corfù in Italian
• PAXI (Παξοί) also known as Paxos in English
• LEFKADA (Λευκάδα) also known as Lefkas in English
• ITHAKI (Ιθάκη) usually known as Ithaca in English
• KEFALONIA (Κεφαλλονιά) often known as Kefalonia, Cefalonia and Kefallinia in English
• ZAKYNTHOS (Ζάκυνθος) sometimes known as Zante in English and Italian
• KYTHIRA (Κύθηρα) usually known as Cythera in English and sometimes known as Cerigo in English and Italian

The six northern islands are off the west coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. 

The seventh island, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the Peloponnese, the southern part of the Greek mainland. Kythira is not part of the region of the Ionian Islands, as it is included in the region of Attica.

History

The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1200 BC, and certainly by the 9th century BC. The early Eretrian settlement at Kerkyra was displaced by colonists from Corinth in 734 BC. The islands were mostly a backwater during Ancient Greek times and played little part in Greek politics. The one exception was the conflict between Kerkyra and its mother-City Corinth in 434 BC, which brought intervention from Athens and triggered the Peloponnesian War.

Ithaca was the name of the island home of Odysseus in the epic Ancient Greek poem the Odyssey by Homer. Attempts have been made to identify Ithaki with ancient Ithaca, but the geography of the real island cannot be made to fit Homer's description. Archeological investigations have revealed interesting findings in both Kefalonia and Ithaca.

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Condition :

The coin characterized :  B-Unc. 

See the scan (picture), shape your own opinion.