Catalog
20 Drachmai
| Issuer | Kingdom of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Drachmai (20 δρᾰχμαί) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central rectangular vignette reproduces Nikolaos Gyzis's allegorical painting 'Glory of Psara', showing a robed female figure in dynamic pose against a plain background, printed in letterpress with a light tan underprint. The numeral '20' appears in guilloche rosettes to the left and right of the vignette. The title 'ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ' is set in a panel at the top, with the denomination legend 'ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΕΙΚΟΣΙ' in a panel at the foot of the note. |
| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ 20 20 ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΕΙΚΟΣΙ (Translation: Kingdom of Greece 20 20 Twenty drachmai) |
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| Comments |
Greece in 1944 was operating under Axis occupation, and the collaborationist government issued notes like this one under conditions of catastrophic hyperinflation — one of the worst episodes in modern monetary history. By late 1944, the drachma had essentially ceased to function as a unit of exchange; prices were quoted in billions, and notes were often worth more as fuel than currency.
The 20 Drachmai denomination was obsolete almost the moment it was printed.