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10 Drachmai Italian occupation
| Issuer | Cassa Mediterranea di Credito per la Grecia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Drachmai (10 δρᾰχμαί) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BIGLIETTO A CORSO LEGALE PER LE ISOLE JONIE ΧΑΡΤΟΝΟΜΙΣΜΑ ΕΧΟΝ ΝΟΜΙΜΟΝ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑΝ ΕΝ ΤΑΙΣ ΙΟΝΙΟΙΣ ΝΗΣΟΙΣ DRACME 10 ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ IL TESORIERE |
| Reverse description | Central vignette presents a classical Greek relief scene with multiple figures in ancient dress, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. The denomination numeral 10 appears in large format to both the left and right of the central vignette. The entire design is framed by an intricate guilloche border with repeating palmette and wave motifs, with serial number panels at the lower left and right. |
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| Comments |
The Cassa Mediterranea di Credito per la Grecia was not a bank in any meaningful sense — it was an Italian military finance instrument, established in 1941 specifically to extract resources from occupied Greece by issuing a parallel currency that had no backing and no external convertibility. The occupying authorities used it to purchase goods and services while the drachma simultaneously collapsed under the weight of requisitioning and supply disruption. Greek hyperinflation between 1941 and 1944 became one of the worst in recorded history.
The low denomination saw heavy use and survivors in anything better than heavily circulated condition are uncommon.