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5 Drachmai Half of 10 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885-1910 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse of this bisected half displays the right-half guilloche underprint design of the parent 10 Drachmai note in violet, with repeated numeral '10' counters arranged within interlocking lathe-work rosettes. A partial arc inscription reading NATIONA... is visible at left, consistent with the reverse text of the full note, and the denomination numeral '10' appears in ornamental cartouches at upper right and lower right. |
| Reverse lettering | NATIONA... 10 |
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| Comments |
The 5 Drachmai issued by the National Bank of Greece as a bisected half of the 10 Drachmai note is a genuine rarity in Greek paper money — not a printing variant but a sanctioned emergency measure, where 10 Drachmai notes were cut in half and each half officially circulated as 5 Drachmai. This practice, more common in colonial and wartime economies, was a direct response to the chronic small-denomination coin shortage that plagued Greece through the late nineteenth century.
Bisect authentication hinges entirely on the cut edge aligning with a documented counterpart. Mismatched halves do exist in collections.