Catalog
1000 Dracme Italian occupation
| Issuer | Cassa Mediterranea di Credito per la Grecia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Local banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BIGLIETTO A CORSO LEGALE PER LE ISOLE JONIE ΧΑΡΤΟΝΟΜΙΣΜΑ ΕΧΟΝ ΝΟΜΙΜΟΝ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑΝ ΕΝ ΤΑΙΣ ΙΟΝΙΟΙΣ ΝΗΣΟΙΣ DRACME 1000 ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ IL TESORIERE |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of a classical bas-relief in intaglio, portraying two equestrian figures on horseback in dynamic motion, framed by an elaborate meander guilloche border with ornamental corner rosettes. The denomination 1000 appears in each corner of the note. The serial number panel is printed at the far right margin. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Cassa Mediterranea di Credito per la Grecia was not a bank in any meaningful sense — it was an Italian military finance instrument, created specifically to manage currency in occupied Greece without formally integrating Greek monetary affairs into the Italian system. This note was part of a parallel currency regime imposed alongside the existing Bank of Greece drachma, allowing occupation authorities to extract resources and pay troops without drawing on lira reserves.
The resulting inflation was catastrophic. By 1944, Greek hyperinflation had become one of the worst recorded in modern history, with the drachma collapsing to trillions per dollar. The Cassa Mediterranea notes contributed directly to that spiral.