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2 Drachmai Ionian Bank Limited
| Issuer | Ionian Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | A finely engraved vignette of Hermes in profile to the right occupies the right portion of the note, rendered in intaglio against a salmon-pink underprint. The bank title ΙΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ LIMITED appears in an ornate frame at the top, with the denomination ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΔΥΟ printed in bold letterpress across the centre. The date, serial number, and two manuscript signatures of bank officials appear in the lower half of the note, with the printer's imprint at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΙΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ LIMITED ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΔΥΟ Bradbury Wilkinson & Cy Ld London |
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| Comments |
The Ionian Bank was a British-chartered institution founded in 1839, operating across the Ionian Islands when they were still under British protection. By 1885, the islands had been part of the Greek state for over two decades — ceded in 1864 — yet the bank retained its concession and continued issuing notes denominated in drachmai rather than its original talari-based system. That shift in denomination was a political accommodation, not a banking decision.
Bradbury Wilkinson held the printing contract for the bank throughout this period. The S148 designation places this in a relatively late run of the series.