Albania Lek Coinage (Vittorio Emmanuel) 1939 to 1941

Vittorio Emmanuel III was King of Italy between 1900 and 1946. He declared himself King of Albania when the Italians occupied that nation between 1939 and 1943, although most countries did not recognize him as king of Albania. Unimpressed, Vittorio minted coins with his image anyway. Some denominations show his nearly bald head, while others use a helmet. All have the double headed eagle of the Byzantine Empire, as well as fasces, a bundle of rods around an axe, a symbol of strength.

Most of these coins are minted in steel, but the 5 and 10 lek coins contain silver, 0.134 and 0.268 troy ounces, respectively. Denominations are 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1, 2, 5, and 10 lek.

The 10 lek in our picture is in nice shape and is a valuable coin. It comes from respected eBay seller ujkuixhybes in Tirana, Albania, and CoinQuest thanks them for use of their coin image.

The listings below show approximate catalog values for these coins. The different dates are about equal in value, except as note. You must apply the concepts outlined on our Terminology page to properly interpret these catalog values.

0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1 AND 2 LEK
worn: $2 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $6
well preserved: $15
fully uncirculated: $35
0.05 lek dated 1941 are very rare, and catalog at $150 in average circulated condition
0.10 lek dated 1941 are rare, and catalog at $50 in average circulated condition

5 LEK
worn: $5 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $12
well preserved: $50
fully uncirculated: $100

10 LEK
worn: $30 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $80
well preserved: $140
fully uncirculated: $250
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