| Descrição do anverso |
The obverse carries a classical engraved vignette of Homer in left-facing profile, set within an oval frame at left, against an ornate guilloche and Greek-key border design. The denomination '50' appears in each corner, with bilingual inscriptions in Italian and Greek identifying the note as legal tender for the Ionian Islands. The face value '50 DRACME / ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ' is displayed in large numerals at centre-right, beneath the treasury signature line. |
| Legenda do anverso |
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| Descrição do reverso |
The reverse of this Corfu provisional issue is a printed Bank of Greece note overprinted in black with the text 'ΥΠΟΚΑΤΑΣΗΜΑ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑΣ' (Branch of Corfu) beneath the bank name 'ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ', with the denomination 'ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΕΙΚΟΣΙ' and large '20' numeral at centre. A lengthy Greek legislative text referencing the decree of 18 December 1944 fills the lower portion, flanked by Greek-key border ornaments and serial number at right. |
| Legenda do reverso |
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| Assinatura(s) |
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| Tipo de proteção |
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| Descrição da proteção |
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| Variantes |
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Pick 153 belongs to a brief, administratively awkward episode: the Allied liberation of the Ionian Islands in 1944 created an immediate need for local currency before the mainland banking system could function. The Bank of Greece's Ionian Islands Branch at Corfu was authorized to issue notes independently, something no regional branch had done before or since.
The occupation-era drachma had been catastrophically debased by Axis requisitioning — hyperinflation had rendered mainland notes nearly worthless by mid-1944. These Corfu issues circulated in a closed island economy where that damage was at least partially contained.
The series is notably scarce in any grade; print runs were small and the notes were quickly superseded by unified post-liberation issues.