Catalog
5 Drachmai unissued
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1926 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company, New York, United States |
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| Obverse description | At centre, an intaglio portrait vignette of Georgios Stavros, founder of the National Bank of Greece, is flanked on either side by the denomination numeral set within elaborate guilloche panels. Decorative borders in the engraving style characteristic of the American Bank Note Company frame the entire composition. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Two ancient coin vignettes anchor the left and right fields, one bearing an effigy of Demeter and the other of Hermes, with the denomination rendered in large numerals at centre. The layout draws on classical Hellenic numismatic iconography, executed through fine intaglio engraving. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Greece was only established in 1927, which makes a 1926 note bearing its name a preparatory production — printed in anticipation of the new central bank's inauguration before the institution legally existed. The American Bank Note Company completed the order, but the notes were never released into circulation.
Unissued ABNC remainders from this transitional period surface occasionally, typically in above-average condition for obvious reasons. The 1926 date locks this piece into the narrow window between Greece's monetary reorganization under the League of Nations stabilization protocol and the bank's formal opening.