Krause has always added some confusion surrounding this coin with a claim that the coin was struck in 1969 from original dies. I've never been that certain of it because the coin is hardly ever seen and if it were restruck in 1969, --even if it were just a few hundred pieces-- examples would be much more available. The slabbed coin (without any restrike indication on the label) was purchased in September of 2001 raw and I believe it is from the Rome mint ca 1938. The other "coin" sold as a "restrike" is a recent purchase that will probably be going back to the seller. The weight is off by 0.4 grams, the color is off (too yellow) and the strike on the reverse is so weak that I would be more inclined to use the term "spurious" to describe the coin than restrike.
Yes, the second one looks a little "off", color wise. The strike is not impressive either, especially when compared to the first one, and if the weight is not quite right either ... The 1969 restrikes, by the way, should have an extra mark. They were made by the Swiss company UGDO (Usine Genevoise de Dégrossissage d'Or, later taken over by Metalor) and should have a little "UGDO 900" stamp below the CoA according to my catalog. The value would basically be just a little above the gold value. I do not see such a stamp on either piece. Christian
The raw one you have looks too "brassy" to my eye. I truly love the Albanian coinage of this era. Awesome stuff!
I ran across this ebay auction a little while ago (and this thread tonight somehow). Shows the restrike marking: and the zoom in: The second one above looks more like a counterfeit than a restrike. This one resides in a 63 slab, and I think I did a good job highlighting the faults.
