1970 GOLD ALBANIA 200 LEKE NGC PROOF 67 ULTRA CAMEO "ANCIENT BUTHROTUM RUINS" ONLY 100 MINTED

PEOPLE'S SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA (1944-1992)

RARE 1970 TWO-HUNDRED GOLD LEKË

FROM THE 1970 PROOF SET ISSUE WITH THE MAXIMUM OF 100 SETS MINTED.

CERTIFIED BY NGC PROOF 67 ULTRA CAMEO

OBV: WREATHED DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE NATIONAL EMBLEM WITH STAR ABOVE; DENOMINATION BENEATH; ELONGATED HEXOGONAL FINENESS COUNTERMARK IN RELIEF TO RIGHT OF DENOMINATION; EIGHT FIVE-POINTED STARS AT EDGE.

REV: WITHIN BEADED CIRCLE THE 3/4 FACING DEPICTION OF "THE GODDESS OF BUTRINT"; BACKGROUND BEHIND HEAD FEATURES THE SANCTUARY OF ASCLEPIUS WITH THE RUINS OF THE HELLENISTIC GREEK THEATER, TREASURY AND STAGE BUILDING, FLANKED BY LAUREL SPRINGS.

KM # 55.3

THE SITE OF BUTHROTUM HAS BEEN INHABITED SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES, BUT THE ANCIENT GREEKS TRIBE CALLED THE CHAONIANS FOUNDED A CITY THERE, LATER REBUILT BY THE ROMANS. BUTHOTUM WAS LOCATED IN THE KINGDOM OF EPIRUS, WHICH IN MODERN TIMES IS IN ALBANIA, THE RUINS OF THE CITY ARE FOUND IN THE DISTRICT OF SARANDË AND CALLED BUTRINT. IN ANCIENT TIMES IT WAS AN IMPORTANT TRADING CENTER AND PORT. THE SHRINE OF ASCLEPIUS, A GREEK HERO WHO BECAME THE GOD OF MEDICINE AND HEALING, WAS FOUNDED IN THE 4th CENTURY B.C. AND ITS RUINS ARE PICTURED ON THIS COIN. BUTHROTIUM BECAME A ROMAN PROTECTORATE AND LATER A COLONY (COLONIA AUGUSTA BUTHROTUM), BUT DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AN EARTHQUAKE CAUSED MASSIVE FLOODING, AND WARS BETWEEN THE VENETIANS AND THE BYZANTINES, LED TO THE TOWN BEING TOTALLY ABANDONED.

THE SO-CALLED "GODDESS OF BUTRINTO",  ACTUALLY THE HEAD OF A STATUE OF THE GOD APOLLO (SIMILAR TO THAT OF A STATUE FOUND AT THE IMPERIAL VILLA AT ANZIO), WAS FOUND NEAR THE THEATER WITH ITS NOSE INTACT DURING THE EXCAVATIONS OF 1928. AN EXCAVATION OF THE RUINS WERE CARRIED OUT BY AN ITALIAN TEAM, AND THERE WAS A SCANDAL INVOLVING ACCUSATIONS OF LOOTING BY THE EXCAVATIORS. TO WAYLAY THESE RUMORS AND KEEP DIPLOMACY WITH FASCIST ITALY AMIABLE, KING ZOG OF ALBANIA GAVE THE HEAD TO ITALIAN DICTATOR BENITO MUSSOLINI. IT WAS GIVEN BACK TO ALBANIA BY ITALY IN 1982, AND IS DEPICTED ON THIS COIN. TODAY BUTHROTUM IS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

BOTH THE 1968 PROOF ISSUE (KM # 55.1) AND 1969 PROOF ISSUE (KM # 55.2) INCORPORATED A FINENESS COUNTERMARK THAT WAS NOT IN RELIEF AND EXHIBITED THE DATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE REVERSE. THIS 1970 ISSUE (KM # 55.3) HAS A FINENESS COUNTERMARK IN RELIEF THAT WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE DIES. THE 1970 ISSUE ALSO SPORTS NO DATE.

CONTAINS 39.49 GRAMS OF .900 FINE GOLD (1.1426 OZS AGW)

41 MM IN DIAMETER

ONLY 100  ISSUED EXCLUSIVELY IN THE 1970 PROOF SET