Catalog
25 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Size | 135 × 70 mm |
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| Reverse lettering | 25 ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ 25 25 25 ΕΚΔΟΣΙΣ ΔΩΔΕΚΑΤΗ 25 AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY. (Translation: 25 National Bank of Greece 25 25 Twelfth issue) |
| Signature(s) | V. Saridas, Alexandros Diomidis and Papadakis |
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| Comments |
Greece's financial position in 1923 was dire. The war with Turkey had just ended in catastrophe — the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922 displaced over a million refugees, and the fiscal pressure on the National Bank was acute. Notes of this series were issued against a backdrop of forced loans and currency instability that would eventually lead to the 1932 devaluation.
The American Bank Note Company contract was a deliberate vote of confidence in American security printing at a time when Greek authorities had little faith in domestic production capacity. Alexandros Diomidis, one of the three signatories, served as Finance Minister during this turbulent period — his name on a banknote was, in that moment, politically charged.