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1 Drachme Privileged Bank of Epirus and Thessaly
| Issuer | Privileged Bank of Epirus and Thessaly |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | An oval vignette portrait of Alexander the Great occupies the left portion of the note, balanced by a numeral '1' within an oval cartouche at right. The bank title ΠΡΟΝΟΜΙΟΥΧΟΣ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΗΠΕΙΡΟΘΕΣΣΑΛΙΑΣ runs along the upper margin, with the denomination ΔΡΑΧΜΗ ΜΙΑ inscribed across the centre. The lower portion carries the date 21 December 1885, along with a serial number and two manuscript signatures of bank officials. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Η ΠΑΡΑΠΟΙΗΣΙΣ, Η ΠΛΑΣΤΟΓΡΑΦΗΣΙΣ ΚΑΙ Η ΕΝ ΓΝΩΣΕΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΛΑΣΤΟΤΗΤΟΣ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑ ΤΙΜΩΡΟΥΝΤΑΙ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΝΟΜΟΝ |
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The Privileged Bank of Epirus and Thessaly was chartered following the Ottoman cession of Thessaly to Greece in 1881 — one of the country's first territorial gains after independence. The bank was established specifically to serve the newly incorporated provinces, which had their own distinct economic infrastructure and a population unaccustomed to Greek institutional banking. Bradbury Wilkinson produced the notes in London, a common arrangement for Greek peripheral issuers who lacked domestic printing capacity of any sophistication.
The 1 Drachme denomination would have been the workhorse of daily retail exchange in a largely agricultural region. The bank's concession was short-lived; it was eventually absorbed into the broader Greek banking consolidation of the early twentieth century.