Catalog
1 Drachma
| Issuer | Greek Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Drachma |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black on orange and light blue underprint. A vignette of Hermes appears at left, flanked by the text of the law authorizing the issuance of the note at centre, with the denomination numeral at right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ · ΜΙΑ Η ΠΑΡΑΠΟΙΗΣΙΣ, Η ΠΛΑΣΤΟΓΡΑΦΗΣΙΣ ΚΑΙ Η ΕΝ ΓΝΩΣΕΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΛΑΣΤΟΤΗΤΟΣ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑ ΤΙΜΩΡΟΥΝΤΑΙ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΝΟΜΟΝ |
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| Comments |
Greece's small-denomination paper notes of this period existed largely because silver coinage had been hoarded or exported following the monetary instability of the 1870s and early 1880s — a familiar pattern in countries tied to the Latin Monetary Union when metallic reserves came under pressure. The government stepped in with these fractional notes as a stopgap for everyday transactions that silver should have handled.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement is worth noting: the firm printed for dozens of governments simultaneously and brought a consistency of intaglio quality rarely matched by state printers. At 65 × 40 mm, this is among the smallest pieces they produced for any client.