Catalog
1000 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1901 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Georgios Stavros in an oval guilloche vignette at upper left, a classical nude male figure seated at a writing desk with a sailing ship in the background at upper centre, and the Greek royal arms supported by two figures within an ornate cartouche at upper right. The bank title ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ arches across the top in bold letterpress, with the denomination ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΧΙΛΙΑΙ in a panel at lower centre, flanked by numeral '1000' counters at lower left and right. Three manuscript signatures appear below the date inscription 'Εν Αθήναις, τη 30 Μαρτίου 1901', below the roles Ο ΤΑΜΙΑΣ, Ο ΔΙΟΙΚΗΤΗΣ, and Ο ΒΑΣ. ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΟΣ. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central intaglio vignette of a seated allegorical female figure, wreathed with flowers and holding a sheaf of wheat, resting against agricultural implements with a recumbent bull at her feet, symbolising abundance. Two large circular guilloche medallions flank the central vignette, the left inscribed ΝΟΜΟΣ 30 ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ 1841 / ΠΕΡΙ ΣΥΣΤΑΣΕΩΣ ΕΘΝΙΚΗΣ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΗΣ with the numeral '1000' at centre, and the right inscribed 30 ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ 1901 / ΑΘΗΝΗΣΙ with '1000' at centre. The legend BANQUE NATIONALE DE GRECE is printed in two parts above and below the central vignette, with the printer's imprint American Bank Note Co. New York at the bottom. |
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| Comments |
The National Bank of Greece turned to the American Bank Note Company for this series at a moment when the country was still climbing out of the 1893 debt default and the humiliating 1897 defeat against the Ottoman Empire. Foreign-printed notes carried an implicit credibility that domestic production could not yet offer — the ABNC imprint alone was a form of collateral in markets where Greek paper was viewed with suspicion.
ABNC's intaglio work on Greek commissions from this period is among the finer output the New York firm produced for southern European clients. The engraving quality repays close examination.