Catalog
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| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1000 Drachmai |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| 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. |
| Reverse lettering | ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΕΚΔΟΣΙΣ ΠΕΜΠΤΗ 1000 |
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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.