Catalog
100 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923-1926 |
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| Value | 100 Drachmai |
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| Obverse description | Central intaglio vignette of Georgios Stavros within an oval guilloche frame, flanked by denomination numerals '100' in ornate cartouches on either side. Three-line signature block at lower centre bears the titles Ο ΤΑΜΙΑΣ, Ο ΔΙΟΙΚΗΤΗΣ, and Ο ΒΑΣ. ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΟΣ, with the date 20 ΑΠΡΙΛΙΟΥ 1923 inscribed above. A red circular overprint reading ΝΕΟΝ / 1926 is applied to the upper right, with serial numbers in red at all four corners. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central architectural vignette of the Byzantine Metropolis church of Mistras, rendered in fine intaglio engraving within a rectangular frame, set against a hillside landscape with trees. Denomination numerals '100' appear in white relief within guilloche medallions on either side of the central vignette, and an elaborate lace-pattern guilloche border surrounds the entire design in olive-green tones. The printer's imprint appears in small lettering at the foot of the note. |
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| Comments |
Greece's finances in the early 1920s were under extraordinary strain — the catastrophic end of the Anatolian campaign in 1922 and the subsequent population exchange with Turkey brought over a million refugees into the country, collapsing government revenue and forcing repeated recourse to note printing. This series was issued squarely within that crisis window.
Bradbury Wilkinson's work for the National Bank of Greece during this period was part of a broader pattern of Southern European and Balkan issuers outsourcing their security printing to British firms when domestic capacity was nonexistent or politically compromised. The multi-year date range for P#85 reflects staggered issue rather than a single print run.