10 000 Drachmai no date, large size, blue

Greece's postwar monetary situation was catastrophic. The occupation-era hyperinflation of 1941–44 had effectively annihilated the drachma, and the 1944 redenomination — at 50 billion old drachmai to one new — required an entirely new note series to be produced quickly. The American Bank Note Company had printed Greek currency before the war, and Athens turned to New York again precisely because domestic printing infrastructure was in no condition to meet demand.

The no-date convention on this issue was deliberate: the series was intended to cover a transitional period of uncertain length, and omitting a date gave the Bank of Greece flexibility to keep notes in circulation without the political awkwardness of issuing visibly dated currency during an active civil war.