Albanian coins

Does anybody collect these?

I only have one, but damn they are aesthetically pleasing almost without exception. I wonder why their coin artists are so good.

Well I do, I have all of them from Italy occupation and some other ones from earlier era also. I know that the designer for old lek and Italy occupation is the same as it is for Italy coins of that era and we know that Italy kingdom coins are really nice.

Yep, you can see design elements from a lot of countries in them. India, Italy, Germany etc. I like the constant animal and ship themes too.

Even the modern proofs are beautiful and much more elegantly done than most countries. Very collectable and way scarcer than most modern 'junk' commemoratives.

This is the one I currently have https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces33931.html

I'd love to get my hands on the train ones or the old gold 100 (chariot) or 20 (lion) Franga Ari, but don't think I ever will.

Great collecting choice Blazenko.

Yes you are right the new proofs are also nice, Skandarbag and trains but quite rare and also very big. I had a chance to handle few of them.
I also like this one very much:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html

Thanks oggy.

Quote: "Blazenko"​Yes you are right the new proofs are also nice, Skandarbag and trains but quite rare and also very big. I had a chance to handle few of them.
​I also like this one very much:
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html
​
​Thanks oggy.

​
wow you got your hands on trains. Was it a Platinum or Palladium one?

I wish they'd have made them all in silver too. I could never afford a 170gram platinum/palladium one with the low mintage and increased collector value too.

Is there a museum or something you can go to play with them? If so I must visit.

Quote: "oggy"​

Quote: "Blazenko"​Yes you are right the new proofs are also nice, Skandarbag and trains but quite rare and also very big. I had a chance to handle few of them.
​​I also like this one very much:
​​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html
​​
​​Thanks oggy.

​​
​wow you got your hands on trains. Was it a Platinum or Palladium one?
​
​I wish they'd have made them all in silver too. I could never afford a 170gram platinum/palladium one with the low mintage and increased collector value too.
​
​Is there a museum or something you can go to play with them? If so I must visit.

​ahh i thought this one
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces33933.html
My mistake sorry. No idea where can you see those.

Quote: "Blazenko"​

Quote: "oggy"​
​

Quote: "Blazenko"​Yes you are right the new proofs are also nice, Skandarbag and trains but quite rare and also very big. I had a chance to handle few of them.
​​​I also like this one very much:
​​​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html
​​​
​​​Thanks oggy.

​​​
​​wow you got your hands on trains. Was it a Platinum or Palladium one?
​​
​​I wish they'd have made them all in silver too. I could never afford a 170gram platinum/palladium one with the low mintage and increased collector value too.
​​
​​Is there a museum or something you can go to play with them? If so I must visit.

​​ahh i thought this one
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces33933.html
​

​That one is really nice too! But I meant https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces53056.html or https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces58772.html

Quote: "oggy"​

Quote: "Blazenko"​
​

Quote: "oggy"​
​​
​

Quote: "Blazenko"​Yes you are right the new proofs are also nice, Skandarbag and trains but quite rare and also very big. I had a chance to handle few of them.
​​​​I also like this one very much:
​​​​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html
​​​​
​​​​Thanks oggy.

​​​​
​​​wow you got your hands on trains. Was it a Platinum or Palladium one?
​​​
​​​I wish they'd have made them all in silver too. I could never afford a 170gram platinum/palladium one with the low mintage and increased collector value too.
​​​
​​​Is there a museum or something you can go to play with them? If so I must visit.

​​​ahh i thought this one
​​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces33933.html
​​

​​That one is really nice too! But I meant https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces53056.html or https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces58772.html

​Yes i saw right away what you meant when you wrote palladium and platinum . no idea where you could get one of those, you can get the silver one at decent price.

Aye, the silver ones are doable.

It's cool how Albania, a small country, has such desirable modern proofs for the numismatic community. Shows they can actually work when the mints don't mass produce hundreds of crappy designs every year to make $$$$$$

Just had a look - the palladium train proofs are relatively affordable, around $2000.

If you want a Platinum proof or a durazzo ship coin, you're talking $5000-8000.

As Albania's referee I thought I could provide some input here;

Recently (read: back in December) I standardised the descriptions and comments of those coins, and took the opportunity to marvel at their aesthetic designs as well. Like Blazenko and I have already touched on in another topic Italian influence is the strongest one on interwar era Albanian coins; Giuseppe Romagnoli, whose name I had to type into the 'Engraver' box dozens of times also designed many Albanian issues before WWII.

Not surprising, since Albania was occupied by Italy in WWI and became a satellite in 1926, before being formally annexed in 1939 as an Italian protectorate. I've also begun to collect 1926-1940 Albanian coins as an informal extension to my Italian type set; but they're predictably rarer than Italian coins from the same era; when I went to Italy they were more available than elsewhere but still noticeably more expensive. As of now I only have;

-1926 1/4, 1/2 and 1 Lek coins
-1939-40 0.20, 0.50, 1, and 2 Lek coins issued under Victor Emmanuel III
-A few more post 1945 Albanian coins, I'm not so much in love with the post 1940 issues myself.

Bonus My personal Albanian favourite!
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24313.html

Well the coins from Italy/Albania are really likeable if you ask me + not all of them are so hard to get.

Quote: "Blazenko"​Well the coins from Italy/Albania are really likeable if you ask me + not all of them are so hard to get.

​I agree with the first one wholeheartedly but as someone whose available budget has been slashed, maybe not so much

Quote: "Blazenko"​Well the coins from Italy/Albania are really likeable if you ask me + not all of them are so hard to get.

​
I collect some Italian states now; maybe didn't update my profile but some of my favourite coins are from there! Genoa and Venice especially.

Have 2/3 types of the 1791 120 Grana, and I MIGHT get the 3rd tomorrow night :)

Quote: "CassTaylor"​

Quote: "Blazenko"​Well the coins from Italy/Albania are really likeable if you ask me + not all of them are so hard to get.

​​I agree with the first one wholeheartedly but as someone whose available budget has been slashed, maybe not so much

​
I can probably send you some cheapies in a bit if you can live with lower grades :P

Quote: "oggy"​

Quote: "Blazenko"​Well the coins from Italy/Albania are really likeable if you ask me + not all of them are so hard to get.

​​
​I collect some Italian states now; maybe didn't update my profile but some of my favourite coins are from there! Genoa and Venice especially.
​
​Have 2/3 types of the 1791 120 Grana, and I MIGHT get the 3rd tomorrow night :)

​Well Italy states are nice also, yes i saw your post about 120 Grana really really nice coin! I dont have many coins from Italy states only few..as they are really expensive if you wish too get them in abit better grade (i prefer to buy coins in better quality)

This is what i am looking at the moment.

:D

Quote: "oggy"​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​
​

Quote: "Blazenko"​Well the coins from Italy/Albania are really likeable if you ask me + not all of them are so hard to get.

​​​I agree with the first one wholeheartedly but as someone whose available budget has been slashed, maybe not so much

​​
​I can probably send you some cheapies in a bit if you can live with lower grades :P

​Define lower grades; usually I don't buy unless I haven't seen one of a type in VF or better in months and give up.

About Italian states, I personally prefer to collect post-unification Italy (1861-1946, to be exact); the decimalised Lira makes assembling a type set so much easier than the thousands of Italian states types, but of course to each their own.

To my mind the most interesting coin from Albania is
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html
The rest silver pre 1945 coins in EF/EF+ quality are rather available. They are not too cheap but available.

But I cannot find this coin in UNC
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces6742.html
for a few years! Does anybody has this coin in UNC?

Quote: "tolnomur"​To my mind the most interesting coin from Albania is
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24272.html
​The rest silver pre 1945 coins in EF/EF+ quality are rather available. They are not too cheap but available.
​
​But I cannot find this coin in UNC
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces6742.html
​for a few years! Does anybody has with coin in UNC?

​Good observation - I don't buy this coin because I haven't seen it AU or UNC.

Even though I don't buy coins from outside my collecting scope I have many times thought about getting me this coin

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24312.html
From the design, my favourite coin from Albania. Seen some being sold for I think 250-500+€ always in great condition but haven't seen this coin for sale that many times.
Indeed this country has some beautiful coins

Quote: "apuking"​Even though I don't buy coins from outside my collecting scope I have many times thought about getting me this coin
​
​https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces24312.html
​From the design, my favourite coin from Albania. Seen some being sold for I think 250-500+€ always in great condition but haven't seen this coin for sale that many times.
​Indeed this country has some beautiful coins

Definitely one of my favourites, and one of the ones I was referring to in my initial post.​

You prefer it to https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces129866.html though ? Kinda 'in' your collecting scope too due to its size and non circulation, so you can claim it for your medal collection