Obverse. BФ on top of shoulder. Photo © Numismatic Guaranty Company
  • 30 Drachmai 1964, KM# 87, Greece, Constantine II, Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, BФ on top of shoulder
  • 30 Drachmai 1964, KM# 87, Greece, Constantine II, Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark
  • 30 Drachmai 1964, KM# 87, Greece, Constantine II, Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, BФ below epaulette
Description

King Constantine II and Queen Anne Marie of Greece got married on 18 September 1964. Princess Anne Marie of Denmark was just 13 when she met the then Crown Prince of Greece. Two years later, the couple had fallen in love and gotten engaged, marrying just weeks after her 18th Birthday and a few months after his accession to the throne. The couple have five children and ruled Greece for only three years before spending over 40 years in exile.

Obverse

A profile portrait of Queen Anne-Marie partially covered by a profile portrait of King Constantine II, both facing to the left, surrounded by the inscription "Constantine Anne Marie Kings of Greece".

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (born Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark on 30 August 1946) is the wife of King Constantine II, who reigned from 1964 until 1973. Anne-Marie is the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his wife Ingrid of Sweden. She is the youngest sister of the reigning Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and cousin of the reigning King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Constantine II (born 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy of Greece in 1973. He acceded as king following the death of his father King Paul in March 1964. Although the accession of the young monarch was initially regarded auspiciously, his reign soon became controversial: Constantine's involvement in the Apostasia of July 1965 created unrest among sections of the population and aggravated the ongoing political instability that culminated in the Colonels' Coup of 21 April 1967.

The coup was successful, leaving Constantine, as the head of state, little room to maneuver since he had no loyal military forces on which to rely. As a result, he reluctantly agreed to inaugurate the Greek military junta on the condition that it be made up largely of civilian ministers. On 13 December 1967, Constantine was forced to flee the country, following an unsuccessful countercoup against the junta. He remained (formally) the head of state in exile until 1 June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy, permanently. This abolition was confirmed after the fall of the junta by the Greek republic referendum, 1974 on 8 December 1974, which established the Third Hellenic Republic. Constantine, who was not allowed to return to Greece to campaign, accepted the results of the plebiscite.

Engraver: V. Falireas

ΚΩΝϹΤΑΝΤῖNOϹ · ἌΝΝΑ ΜΑΡΙΑ ΒΑϹΙΛΕῖϹ ΤῶΝ ἙΛΛΉΝΩΝ
B.Ф.

Reverse

Crowned double-headed eagle and denomination.

In heraldry and vexillology, the double-headed eagle is a charge associated with the concept of Empire. Most modern uses of the symbol are directly or indirectly associated with its use by the Roman/Byzantine Empire, whose use of it represented the Empire's dominion over the Near East and the West. The symbol is much older and has long been a symbol of power and dominion.

Used during the late Byzantine Empire as a dynastic emblem of the Palaiologoi, it was adopted during the late Medieval to Early Modern period in the Holy Roman Empire on one hand, and in Orthodox principalities Serbia and Russia on the other, representing an augmentation of the (single-headed) eagle or Aquila associated with the Roman Empire.

1964
30 ΔΡχ.

Edge

The motto of the dynasty: People's love, my strength

Ι Σ Χ Υ Σ Μ Ο Υ Η Α Γ Α Π Η Τ Ο Υ Λ Α Ο Υ

Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness .835
Weight 12 g
Diameter 30.3 mm
Thickness 2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Mint of Norway
Swissmint

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