10 Drachmai Coin KM# 72

Dimitir (Romanized to Demeter) was an ancient Goddess/archetype, in the Greek pantheon, who represented "grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment" ^[2] She is often depicted as a mature female figure that frequently has a sprig of wheat in her hand. She is also represented in the night sky as the constellation of Virgo (my astrological sign!). The brightest star in the constellation of Virgo is called Spica (pronounced: spēe' - kə), which is derived from the Latin phrase: spīca virginis "the virgin's ear of [wheat] grain." ^[3]

One side of the coin features DIMITIR/DEMETER and Her name "ΔΗΜΗΤΗΡ" in the Greek alphabet. I consider this to be the obverse (front) of the coin, as I'd always heard that a portrait is always considered the obverse side. However, some numismatic websites — such as NGC.com ^[1] — refer to Dimitir as being the reverse (back) side of this coin and the spike of wheat being the obverse (front) side. Was this a mistake, or is it correct? Who decides which is obverse and which is reverse, if not for the presence of a portrait? Perhaps someone in the #steemsilvergold community can enlighten us on this?

What I count as the reverse (back) side of the coin features a lovely spike of wheat, the 10 drachmai (10 ΔΡ) denomination, and the lettring "ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" which translates to "GREEK REPUBLIC."


The seller has graded this coin "VF" which stands for "Very Fine" and is an indicator of how nicely the coin was stamped as well as how much wear it has received over the years. NGC.com [1] lists a current value of this 50% silver coin at USD $10. I paid slightly more than that, but it was worth it to have DIMITIR in my collection.


Some sellers on eBay include a surprise "bonus" item as a little "thank you" gift for ordering from them, and this seller did that! He also sent me a 50 lepta Greek KM# 80 coin in "F" (Fine) condition:

NGC.com lists the current value of this copper-nickel alloy coin as USD $0.50 in VF (Very Fine) condition, so my coin would be worth less. Still, it is a cool item to have and it was nice of the seller to include it as a surprise in my shipment!