1000 Grosia

The Provisional Administration of Greece issued this note in 1822, during the active phase of the War of Independence against Ottoman rule. Greece had no functioning central bank — the provisional government was issuing paper obligations largely on the strength of anticipated foreign loans and the goodwill of a population fighting a revolution. The grosia (or grossia) denomination was inherited from Ottoman monetary convention, used simply because it was what the public understood.

Pick 5 is among the earliest documented paper money attributable to any Greek governing authority. Survival rates are predictably low given the conditions under which these circulated.