Catalog
1 Drachma Ionian Bank Limited
| Issuer | Ionian Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885 |
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| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The Greek Royal coat of arms printed in brown at centre, consisting of a crowned shield bearing a white cross on blue ground, supported by two classical figures and surrounded by an ornate guilloche border with foliate corner decorations. Numeral 1 appears at left and right within the side panels. The printer's imprint BRADBURY WILKINSON & COMPY. Lᵈ LONDON is inscribed along the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | BRADBURY WILKINSON & COMPY. Lᵈ LONDON |
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| Comments |
The Ionian Bank was a British-chartered institution operating primarily in the Ionian Islands and, after their 1864 cession to Greece, continuing under Greek sovereignty with its original London charter intact. That legal peculiarity — a British joint-stock bank issuing drachma-denominated notes under Greek monetary law — gave the bank an unusual dual existence that lasted well into the twentieth century.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled the printing throughout the bank's note-issuing period. The 1 Drachma denomination was the workhorse of small retail transactions and was consequently subject to heavy wear; surviving examples in sound condition are disproportionately rare relative to higher denominations from the same series.