Catalog
25 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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 | American Bank Note Company, New York, United States |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central intaglio vignette of a putto (young Hermes figure) reclining with a caduceus, a tall-masted sailing ship in the background on open waters; denomination numeral '25' appears within elaborate guilloche medallions at left and right. The legends 'BANQUE' above and 'NATIONALE DE GRECE.' below frame the central vignette, with the Greek inscription 'ΕΚΔΟΣΙΣ ΕΝΝΑΤΗ' (Ninth Issue) beneath, and the printer's imprint of the American Bank Note Co., New York at the foot. |
| Reverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DE GRECE. ΕΚΔΟΣΙΣ ΕΝΝΑΤΗ |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The National Bank of Greece turned to the American Bank Note Company for this series at a time when domestic printing infrastructure could not meet the quality or security demands the bank required. ABNC's New York plant was the prestige choice for southern European and Balkan issuers in the early twentieth century, and several Greek series from this period share the same contractor.
The issue span of nearly a decade across 1909–1918 means these notes circulated through the Balkan Wars, Greek participation in the First World War, and the bitter political rupture known as the National Schism — the constitutional crisis that split the country between Venizelist and royalist factions. Notes from the later dates in the series would have changed hands during serious economic disruption.