Catalog
2 Drachmai
| Issuer | Kingdom of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΔΥΟ Νόμος 791 της 27ης Οκτωβρίου 1917 Ο ΚΕΝΤΡΙΚΟΣ ΤΑΜΙΑΣ Ο ΥΠΟΥΡΓΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΩΝ Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. London |
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| Reverse lettering | ΙΣΧΥΣ ΜΟΥ Η ΑΓΑΠΗ ΤΟΥ ΛΑΟΥ Η ΠΑΡΑΠΟΙΗΣΙΣ Η ΠΛΑΣΤΟΓΡΑΦΗΣΙΣ ΚΑΙ Η ΕΝ ΓΝΩΣΕΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΛΑΣΤΟΤΗΤΟΣ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑ ΤΙΜΩΡΟΥΝΤΑΙ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΝΟΜΟΝ |
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| Comments |
Greece entered World War I on the Allied side in June 1917 following the forced abdication of King Constantine I — a political rupture that created immediate pressure on the treasury. This 2 Drachmai note was part of a low-denomination emergency issue intended to ease coin shortages that had become acute as hoarding accelerated during the national schism between Venizelists and royalists.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled the printing in London, as they did for several Greek issues of this period. The arrangement was logistically straightforward given Greece's limited domestic printing capacity at the time.