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1000 Drachmai punch holes
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette with a portrait of Georgios Stavros set within an elaborate guilloche rosette, flanked by the denomination numeral 1000 on each side. The bank title ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ appears in an arc above the portrait, with ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΧΙΛΙΑΙ inscribed below in a tablet. The note carries multiple cancellation punch holes, and the upper border bears the legend ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ within a repeating numeral border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central vignette of the Lion's Gate at Mycenae, rendered in fine intaglio engraving, flanked by tall decorative columns with the denomination 1000 printed on either side. The legend ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ runs along the upper border, while ΕΚΔΟΣΙΣ ΠΕΜΠΤΗ appears in a panel at the lower centre. The design is framed by a repeating numeral border throughout, and the note bears multiple cancellation punch holes. |
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| Comments |
Greece was occupied by Axis forces from April 1941, and the occupying authorities immediately sought to control the money supply. Notes already in circulation — including this 1000 Drachmai — were invalidated through punch cancellation rather than physical withdrawal, a practical measure given the disruption to normal banking infrastructure.
The ABNC printing origin matters here: these notes had been produced in New York before the occupation, part of a supply arrangement that became impossible to continue once Greece fell. Punch-cancelled survivors are common enough; uncancelled circulated examples from the occupation period are considerably harder to place with confidence.