The name drachma is derived from the verb dratto ("to grasp"), as initially a drachma was a fistful (a "grasp") of six oboloi (metal sticks), which were used as a form of currency as early as 1100 BC. The 5th century BC Athenian tetradrachmon ("four drachmae") coin was the most widely used coin in the Greek world prior to the time of Alexander the Great.
After Alexander the Great's conquests, the name drachma was used in many of the Hellenistic kingdoms in the Middle East, including the Ptolemaic kingdom in Alexandria. The Arabic unit of currency known as dirham known from pre-Islamic times and afterwards, inherited its name from the drachma; the dirham is still the name of the official currencies of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. The Armenian dram also derives its name from the drachma.
The following 30 drachma coins have circulated in Greece until the introduction of the Common European Currency on January 1, 2002:
![]() ![]() | 30 drachmas - Wedding anniversary The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Holy Roman Empire and with the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and West. However, the design was in use in the East for centuries before it was officially adopted by the Byzantines. The coin commemorates the wedding anniversarry of King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie ...
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![]() ![]() | 30 drachmas - Map of Greece The Greek Royal Family is a direct family member of the House of Schleswig – Holstein – Sonderburg - Glücksburg. Its first monarch was George I and the family came to throne when Otto I of Greece allowed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Second French Empire to occupy the port at Piraeus so as to prevent the Kingdom of Greece from aligning with the Russian Empire during the Crimean War (1853-1856) The coin depicts the dynasty: King George A', King Constantine A', King Alexander, King George B' and King Paul ...
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The size of the images above are related to the diameter of the coins they represent.
Finland - 1 cent 2009 (The heraldic lion of Finland)
EUR 0.15
Finland - 2 cents 2008 (The heraldic lion of Finland)
EUR 0.15
Luxembourg - 2 euros 2007 (50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome)
EUR 3.15
Slovenia - 2 euros 2010 (200th anniversary of the botanical garden in Ljubljana)
EUR 3.25
Finland - 1 cent 2010 (The heraldic lion of Finland)
EUR 0.15