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2 Drachmai Ionian Bank Limited
| Issuer | Ionian Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Drachmai |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in brown and centres on the Greek royal coat of arms — a crowned shield bearing the cross of Greece, supported by two male figures — enclosed within an ornate guilloche border with large numeral 2 vignettes to either side. Elaborate scrollwork and lathe-work panels frame the central arms, filling the entire field in a dense, engine-turned pattern. The printer's imprint BRADBURY, WILKINSON & COMPANY LTD LONDON appears at the foot. |
| Reverse lettering | BRADBURY, WILKINSON & COMPANY LTD 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.