Catalog
2 Pounds - Cephalonia
| Issuer | Ionian Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1840 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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| Obverse description | The note is bilingual throughout, with Greek text on the left half and English on the right. At the top, 'IONIAN BANK' and 'ΙΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ' are lettered across the upper and lower borders respectively. Two oval cartouches flank a central vignette of the British royal arms with supporters and a wreath; the cartouches bear the denomination 'ΔΥΟ' (left) and 'TWO' (right). Vertical side panels read 'ΚΕΦΑΛΛΗΝΙΑ' and 'CEPHALONIA'. The body carries parallel promise-to-pay text in Greek and English, with a SPECIMEN overprint, and the lower register shows 'ΔΥΟ ΛΙΡΑΙ Σ᾽' and 'Two Pounds St᾽' flanking signature lines for Accountant and Manager. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | IONIAN BANK ΙΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΚΕΦΑΛΛΗΝΙΑ CEPHALONIA ΔΥΟ TWO Υπόσχομαι να πληρώσω... ΔΥΟ ΛΙΡΑΣ ΣΤΕΡΛΙΝΑΣ Promise to pay the Bearer on demand here TWO POUNDS STERLING, or the Equivalent in Legal Ionian Currency. Δια την Ιονική Τράπεζαν For the Ionian Bank. ΔΥΟ ΛΙΡΑΙ Σ᾽ Two Pounds St᾽ Accountant / Λογιστής Manager / Διευθυντής SPECIMEN |
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| Comments |
The Ionian Bank was chartered in London in 1839 specifically to serve the Ionian Islands, then a British protectorate under the Lord High Commissioner. This 2 Pounds note from the inaugural 1840 issue is among the earliest paper currency formally circulated in Greek-speaking territory under any organized banking structure — the islands had no prior note-issuing institution of their own.
Cephalonia was one of several island branches designated as places of payment, meaning notes were printed with location-specific text rather than being generic to the whole protectorate. That branch designation makes individual island examples distinct collecting items within the series.
The Ionian Bank ultimately continued operating well into the twentieth century, long after the islands' union with Greece in 1864.