Albania - 1939 - 20 Franga - P7

Country / Region: Albania

Continent: Europe

Denomination: 20 Franga

Year: 1939

Grade: Uncirculated

Face Value (as at 2014.03.15): cannot be determined

Pick: 7

Dimension: 189 mm x 106 mm

Figure (Obverse): Athena and the Capitoline Wolf

Figure (Reverse): Flag of Albania (black double-headed eagle)

Helen’s Score: 7.8/10

Story: Being 1939, I think this is the oldest banknote in my current collection. Surprisingly it’s in a very well-kept and uncirculated condition. I didn’t plan to purchase this, as my goal on Albanian banknote is the 1996 set from P62 to P66. I was sold due to a rather uncommon security feature: double watermarks. This is the second note I bought from Stephen.

Interesting Fact: I never knew there was a currency unit called Franga until I learnt of this banknote. Relatively little was known of this obsolete currency, other than that each unit was equivalent to 5 lek (see here), the current monetary unit in Albania. It had a nickname called Leku Zogut, and was used in the Albanian Republic and Albanian Kingdom under Zogu. There’s a 100 Franga with a nice design, but so far in 12 months I’ve been unable to locate one with at least Almost UNC condition.