Catalog
1 Drachma
| Issuer | Kingdom of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Reference(s) | P#320 |
| Obverse description | The issuer's title ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ is printed across the top, with the denomination expressed in both numeral and word form at centre. The date of issue, 9 November 1944, and the signature of the Minister of Finance appear at the bottom, with the full text of the payment obligation rendered in Greek letterpress. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in blue on a dense guilloche underprint of interlocking scrollwork and rosette ornaments. A central vignette occupies the majority of the face, presenting a phoenix rising from flames with wings fully spread — a classical Greek national symbol — set within a fine geometric lathe-work border. The issuer's title ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ is inscribed across the top, with the numeral 1 repeated at each corner. |
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| Comments |
Greece in 1944 was operating under simultaneous occupation and catastrophic hyperinflation — the drachma had effectively collapsed, with prices doubling every few days by mid-year. Notes at this denomination were nearly worthless the moment they were printed; 12 million copies of a 1 Drachma note represents administrative obligation more than functional currency.
The series to which P#320 belongs was issued by the collaborationist government under Axis occupation, not the government-in-exile in Cairo. That distinction matters for provenance.