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20 Drachmai
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1928 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | At left, an engraved portrait vignette of Georgios Stavros, founder of the National Bank of Greece, rendered in fine intaglio lines; the heading inscription ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ arches across the upper register as an overprint, marking the Bank of Greece's assumption of note-issuing authority. The denomination numeral and Greek text appear at centre-right against an intricate guilloche underprint. The overall composition reflects the American Bank Note Company's characteristic style of close cross-hatched portraiture and elaborate lathe-work border ornamentation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ |
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| Comments |
The 1928 Greek drachma series, including this 20 Drachmai note, was issued following Greece's stabilization loan and its entry into the Gold Exchange Standard — a condition imposed largely by the League of Nations Financial Committee after years of monetary chaos tied to the Asia Minor catastrophe and the absorption of over a million refugees. The Bank of Greece itself had only been established in 1927, this note coming in its first full year of operation.
The American Bank Note Company contract was part of a deliberate effort to signal international credibility. ABNC's work on this series is technically clean, with fine intaglio line work characteristic of their interwar output.