Catalog
100 Kolonata - Zakynthos
| Issuer | Ionian Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1843-1844 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The upper portion carries the bank title «ΙΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ» in bold letterpress, flanked by two oval vignettes bearing the denomination — «$100» at left and «ΕΚΑΤΟΝ» at right — with a central armorial vignette of the Ionian Islands emblem surmounted by flags. The body of the note contains a promise-to-pay text in Greek script, partially obscured by a large black cancellation seal. The lower panel displays the issuing branch name «ΖΑΚΥΝΘΟΣ» within a cartouche, with the denomination legend «ΚΟΛΟΝΑΤΑ ΕΚΑΤΟΝ» at left alongside the printed role designations «Λογιστής» and «Διευθυντής» for the countersigning officials. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΙΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΚΟΛΟΝΑΤΑ ΕΚΑΤΟΝ ΖΑΚΥΝΘΟΣ Λογιστής Διευθυντής |
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| Comments |
The Ionian Bank was chartered by British act of parliament in 1839 specifically to serve the Ionian Islands, then a British protectorate. It held a note-issuing monopoly in the islands — an unusual arrangement that gave a privately incorporated London bank full currency authority over a nominally self-governing Greek-speaking territory. This note was issued for Zakynthos, one of several branch-specific issues the bank circulated across the island group, each payable at its respective island office rather than through a central clearing point.
The kolonata was the local unit, pegged to the Spanish dollar. Surviving examples from the 1843–44 period are rare; the bank's early issues had low print runs and the islands were never a high-volume commercial environment.