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5 Drachmai Half of 10 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
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| Value | 5 Drachmai |
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| Obverse description | This note represents the left half of a bisected 10 Drachmai note (P-46), cut vertically and issued as a 5 Drachmai emergency currency in 1922. The half retains an intaglio portrait vignette of a bearded male figure set within a circular guilloche medallion at left, alongside the numeral '10' in ornate letterpress at upper left. Red serial number and series letter appear in the lower centre field, accompanied by two manuscript signatures above the printed designations 'Ο ΤΑΜΙΑΣ' and 'Ο ΔΙΟΙΚ…', with the legend 'ΕΘΝΙΚΗ... ΔΡΑΧΜΑ... ΕΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΣ' and a warning inscription at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DE GRECE 10 FRANCS GRAVÉ ET IMPRIMÉ PAR DIRECT |
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| Comments |
In February 1922, facing a severe shortage of small-denomination currency driven by the costs of the ongoing Greco-Turkish War, the Greek government authorized a compulsory bisection of all 10 Drachmai notes then in circulation. Holders were required to physically cut their notes in half along a pre-designated line; one half retained legal tender status at 5 Drachmai, while the other half was exchangeable for a new 5 Drachmai bond — effectively a forced short-term loan to the state.
Bradbury, Wilkinson had printed the original 10 Drachmai notes in London years earlier with no expectation of this use. The bisected halves circulated as-is, with no overprint or official validation stamp required.