Catalog
100 000 000 Drachmai Kalamata
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse lettering | ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΤΑΜΕΙΑΚΟΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΟΝ ΔΡΧ. 100.000.000 ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΚΟΜΙΣΤΗΝ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΕΚΑΤΟ ΕΚΑΤΟΜΜΥΡΙΑΣ Η Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος υποχρεούται ν' ανταλλάξη το παρόν Ταμειακόν Γραμμάτιον έναντι Τραπεζογραμματίων επί τη εμφανίσει ΤΟ ΠΑΡΟΝ ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ ΥΠΟΧΡΕΩΤΙΚΩΣ ΔΕΚΤΟΝ ΕΙΣ ΑΠΑΣΑΣ ΤΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΛΛΑΓΑΣ ΚΑΛΑΜΑΤΑ 20 ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 1944 ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΥΠΟΚΑΤΑΣΤΗΜΑ ΚΑΛΑΜΩΝ Ο ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟΣ Ο ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΕΑΣ ΠΡΟΣΩΡΙΝΗ ΔΔ/ΚΗ ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΗ |
| Reverse description | Plain light green reverse, essentially unprinted, bearing a circular official ink stamp at centre and two manuscript signatures. The serial number and series letter are printed at the left in mirror orientation, visible as a set-off from the obverse impression. |
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| Comments |
By mid-1944, German and Italian occupation had driven Greek inflation to levels that required notes of this magnitude simply to conduct routine transactions. The 100,000,000 drachmai denomination — unimaginable before the war — was itself obsolete almost as fast as it could be printed. The Kalamata designation refers to the regional branch overprint or issue authorization, distinguishing it from Athens-issued notes of the same face value within the collapsing wartime monetary apparatus.
When liberation came in October 1944, the new drachma replaced the occupation currency at 50 billion old drachmai to one — rendering every note in this series essentially worthless overnight.