Aleksandar Karađorđević coinage: 1925-1932.
 
Alexander I (16 December 1888 [O.S. 04 December] – 09 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier, served as a prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1914 and later became King of Yugoslavia from 1921 to 1934 (prior to 1929 the state was known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes).
On 01 December 1918, in a prearranged set piece, Alexander, as regent, received a delegation of the People's Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, an address was read out by one of the delegation, and Alexander made an address in acceptance. This was considered to be the birth of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
In 1921, on the death of his father, Alexander inherited the throne of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which from its inception was colloquially known both in the Kingdom and the rest of Europe alike as Yugoslavia.
On 08 June 1922 he married Princess Maria of Romania, who was a daughter of King Ferdinand of Romania. They had three sons: Crown Prince Peter, and Princes Tomislav and Andrej. He was said to have wished to marry Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, a cousin of his wife and the second daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, and was distraught by her untimely death in the Russian Revolution.
In response to the political crisis triggered by the assassination of Stjepan Radić, King Alexander abolished the Constitution on 06 January 1929, prorogued the Parliament and introduced a personal dictatorship (the so-called "January 6th Dictatorship", Šestojanuarska diktatura). He also changed the name of the country to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and changed the internal divisions from the 33 oblasts to nine new banovinas on 03 October 1929.
In the same month, he tried to banish by decree the use of Serbian Cyrillic to promote the exclusive use of the Latin alphabet in Yugoslavia.
In 1931, Alexander decreed a new Constitution which transferred executive power to the King. Elections were to be by universal male suffrage. The provision for a secret ballot was dropped and pressure on public employees to vote for the governing party was to be a feature of all elections held under Alexander's constitution. Furthermore, the King would appoint half of the upper house directly, and legislation could become law with the approval of one of the houses alone if it were also approved by the King.
After the Ustaše's Velebit uprising in November 1932, Alexander said through an intermediary to the Italian government, "If you want to have serious riots in Yugoslavia or cause a regime change, you need to kill me. Shoot at me and be sure you have finished me off, because that's the only way to make changes in Yugoslavia."
As a result of the previous deaths of three family members on a Tuesday, Alexander refused to undertake any public functions on that day of the week. On Tuesday, 09 October 1934, however, he had no choice, as he was arriving in Marseilles to start a state visit to France, to strengthen the two countries' alliance in the Little Entente. While Alexander was being slowly driven in a car through the streets along with French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou, a gunman, the Bulgarian Vlado Chernozemski, stepped from the street and shot the King twice, and the chauffeur, with a Mauser C96 semiautomatic pistol. Alexander died in the car, slumped backwards in the seat, with his eyes open. One of the bullets struck Foreign Minister Barthou in the arm, passing through and fatally severing an artery. He died of excessive blood loss less than an hour later.
It was one of the first assassinations captured on film; the shooting occurred straight in front of the cameraman, who was only feet away at the time. While the exact moment of shooting was not captured on film, the events leading to the assassination and the immediate aftermath were. The body of the chauffeur (who had been wounded) ducked and jammed against the brakes of the car, allowing the cameraman to continue filming from within inches of the King for a number of minutes afterwards.
The assassin was a member of the pro-Bulgarian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO or VMRO) and an experienced marksman. Immediately after assassinating King Alexander, Chernozemski was cut down by the sword of a mounted French policeman, and then beaten by the crowd. By the time he was removed from the scene, the King was already dead. The IMRO was a political organization that fought for secession of Vardar Macedonia from Yugoslavia and becoming independent, and the leader of the organization in that time was Ivan Mihailov. IMRO worked in alliance with the Croatian Ustaše group led by Ante Pavelić. Chernozemski and three Croatian accomplices had travelled to France from Hungary via Switzerland. After the assassination, Chernozemski's fellows were arrested by French police. Although there is no final evidence that either Italian dictator Benito Mussolini or the Hungarian government were involved in the plot, the public opinion in Yugoslavia was that Italy had been crucial in the planning and directing of the assassination. The incident was later used by Yugoslavia as an argument to counter the Croatian attempts of secession and Italian and Hungarian revisionism.
 
King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (16 August 1921 - 03 October 1929)
 

Currency: Dinar = 100 para.
1925
 

KM#4 / Schön#4 50 para. Year: 1925. Weight: 2.53 g [2.50 g]. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 18.00 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Coin. Mint: Brussels, Belgium. Obverse: Crown at the top. Numeral "50" in the center with "ПАРА" (Para) written below. Date "1925" below the Value. Wreath surrounds the Value and Date.
Reverse: Alexander's portrait facing left in the center. "АЛЕКСАНДАР I. КРАЉ СРБА, ХРВАТА И СЛОВЕНАЦА" (Alexander I, King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) written clockwise around the portrait. "A.PATEY" written below the neck. Mintage: 25,000,000 (each by Brussels and Poissy mints). Mintage Years: One year type. Engraver: Henri Auguste Jules Patey (Portrait side).

Note: Henri Auguste Jules Patey (09 September 1855, Paris – June 1930, Paris) was a French sculptor, medallist and coin engraver. Patey studied sculpture with Henri Chapu and engraving and medal making with Jules-Clément Chaplain. He was admitted to the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1873. In 1875, he won the second Prix de Rome for medal engraving and in 1881 he won the first Grand prix de Rome, also for medal engraving. He won further prizes in 1886 (third), 1887 (second) and 1894 (first). At the Universal Exhibition of 1889 he won a bronze medal. He produced many portrait medals, not only of clients, but also of relatives and friends. He also authored decorations and patterns. In 1898, he became a knight of the Légion d'honneur. He was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts from 1913. He succeeded Jean Lagrange as chief engraver of the Paris mint in 1896, a position he held until his death in 1930. He used a torch as his privy mark. In this position, Patey designed the nickel 25 Centimes 1903. This piece was generally rejected. It was the first copper-nickel coin in France. The white metal was taken for silver and the coin confused with the 1 franc, in spite of a completely different design. Coins with a different design and shape dated 1904 and 1905 were not accepted either. He did not design any other French coins after this double disappointments.

Same as above coin, but having Thunderbolt mint mark at bottom left side on Obverse side.

Mint: Poissy, France. Weight: 2.44g. Mintage: 25,000,000.

KM#5 / Schön#5 1 Dinar. Year: 1925. Weight: 4.95 g [5.00 g]. Metal: Nickel-Bronze. Diameter: 23.00 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Coin. Mint: Brussels, Belgium. Obverse: Crown at the top. Numeral "1" in the center with "ДИНАР" (Dinar) written below. Date "1925" below the Value. Wreath surrounds the Value and Date.
Reverse: Alexander's portrait facing left in the center. "АЛЕКСАНДАР I. КРАЉ СРБА, ХРВАТА И СЛОВЕНАЦА" (Alexander I, King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) written clockwise around the portrait. "A.PATEY" written below the neck. Mintage: 37,500,000 (each by Brussels and Poissy mints). Mintage Years: One year type. Engraver: Henri Auguste Jules Patey (Portrait side).

Same as above coin, but having Thunderbolt mint mark at bottom left side on Obverse side.

Mint: Poissy, France. Weight: 4.89g. Mintage: 37,500,000.

KM#6 / Schön#6 2 Dinars. Year: 1925. Weight: 10.15 g [10.00 g]. Metal: Nickel-Bronze. Diameter: 27.00 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Coin. Mint: Brussels, Belgium. Obverse: Crown at the top. Numeral "2" in the center with "ДИНАРA" (Dinars) written below. Date "1925" below the Value. Wreath surrounds the Value and Date.
Reverse: Alexander's portrait facing left in the center. "АЛЕКСАНДАР I. КРАЉ СРБА, ХРВАТА И СЛОВЕНАЦА" (Alexander I, King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) written clockwise around the portrait. "A.PATEY" written below the neck. Mintage: 25,000,000 (each by Brussels and Poissy mints). Mintage Years: One year type. Engraver: Henri Auguste Jules Patey (Portrait side).

Note: Poissy mint with Thunderbolt mint mark at bottom left side on Obverse side also exists with mintage: 25,000,000.
 
King of the Yugoslavia (03 October 1929 - 09 October 1934)
 
Currency: Dinar = 100 para.
1931
 

KM#10 / Schön#8 10 Dinars. Year: 1931. Weight: 6.94 g [7.00 g]. Metal: 0.500 Silver. Diameter: 24.50 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Coin. Mint: London, England. Obverse: Crowned Coat of arms of Yugoslavia in the center. Date "1931" divided on both left and right sides. Value "10 DINARA" (10 Dinars) written at the bottom.
Reverse: Alexander's portrait facing left in the center. "ALEKSANDAR I. KRALJ JUGOSLAVIJE" (Alexander I, King of Yugoslavia) written clockwise around the portrait. "KОВНИЦA·А·Д·" (KOVNICA·A·D·) written below the portrait. Mintage: 19,000,000 + N.A. Proof. Mintage Years: One year type. Engraver: Percy Metcalfe (both sides).

Note: This coin with the same date was also produced by Paris mint with Privy mint mark with mintage: 4,000,000 + N.A proof.

KM#11 / Schön#9 20 Dinars. Year: 1931. Weight: 13.92 g [14.00 g]. Metal: 0.500 Silver. Diameter: 31.00 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Coin. Mint: Belgrade. Obverse: Crowned Coat of arms of Yugoslavia in the center. Date "1931" divided on both left and right sides. Value "20 DINARA" (20 Dinars) written at the bottom.

Reverse: Alexander's portrait facing left in the center. "ALEKSANDAR I. KRALJ JUGOSLAVIJE" (Alexander I, King of Yugoslavia) written clockwise around the portrait. "KОВНИЦA·А·Д·" (KOVNICA·A·D·) written below the portrait. Mintage: 12,500,000 + N.A. Proof. Mintage Years: One year type. Engraver: Percy Metcalfe (both sides).
 
1932
 

KM#16 / Schön#10 50 Dinars. Year: 1932. Weight: 22.92 g [23.30 g]. Metal: 0.750 Silver. Diameter: 36.00 mm. Edge: Lettered incuse: "BOG ČUVA JUGOSLAVIJU" (God protects Yugoslavia) written in Croatian language. Alignment: Coin. Mint: Belgrade. Obverse: Crowned Coat of arms of Yugoslavia in the center. Date "1932" divided on both left and right sides. Value "50 ДИНАРA" (50 Dinars) written at the bottom.

Reverse: Alexander's portrait facing left in the center. "АЛЕКСАНДАР I. КРАЉ ЈУГОСЛАВИЈЕ" (Alexander I, King of Yugoslavia) written clockwise around the portrait. "KОВНИЦA·А·Д·" (KOVNICA·A·D·) written below the portrait. Mintage: 5,500,000 (each by Belgrade and London mints). Mintage Years: One year type. Engraver: Percy Metcalfe (both sides). My coin has edge readable when Date side is at the top.

Note: This coin with the same date was also produced by London mint without "KОВНИЦA·А·Д·" written below the portrait. It also has the same mintage of 5,500,000.
 
 
Click on below links to view coinage used by Serbia:
  • Ottoman Empire 1389-1867
  • Actual Ottoman rule: 1389-1717, 1739-1789, 1791-1804, 1813-1817. Governors at Niš 1719-1739.
  • OBRENOVIĆ
  • Mihailo [Michael] Obrenović III (2nd time)............26 Sep 1860 - 10 Jun 1868
  • Milan II [Milan Obrenović IV] (King from 1882)........02 Jul 1868 - 06 Mar 1889
  • Aleksandar............................................06 Mar 1889 - 11 Jun 1903
  • KARAGEORGEVIĆ
  • Peter I (King of Serbs, Croats, & Slovenes from 1918).15 Jun 1903 - 16 Aug 1921
  • Aleksandar (Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1929)..........16 Aug 1921 - 09 Oct 1934
  • Peter II..............................................09 Oct 1934 - 29 Nov 1945
  • Occupied Territory and Federal Republic
  • German occupation.....................................13 Apr 1941 - 20 Oct 1944
  • Democratic Federative Yugoslavia......................29 Nov 1943 - 29 Nov 1945
  • Federative People's Republic of Yugoslavia............29 Nov 1945 - 07 Apr 1963
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia..............07 Apr 1963 - 27 Apr 1992
  • Federal Republic of Yugoslavia........................27 Apr 1992 - 04 Feb 2003
  • Serbia and Montenegro.................................04 Feb 2003 - 03 Jun 2006
  • Republic of Serbia....................................05 Jun 2006 - date
 
 
 
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