Catalog
50 Drachmai
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#121 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΝΤΑ ΠΛΗΡΩΤΕΑΙ ΕΠΙ ΤΗ. ΕΜΦΑΝΙΣΕΙ ΕΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΣ ΤΗ 1 ΦΕΒΡΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ 1943 Ο ΔΙΟΙΚΗΤΗΣ ΟΙ ΔΙΕΥΘΥΝΤΑΙ |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | P#121a(1) - large serial # P#121a(2) - small serial # |
| Comments |
Greece in 1943 was under Axis occupation, and the Bank of Greece — nominally still functioning — was effectively compelled to issue currency to finance the occupying forces' expenses. The result was catastrophic inflation; by late 1944, denominations had reached the billions. This 50 Drachmai note was already economically trivial within months of issue, rendered worthless not by withdrawal but by hyperinflation that the IMF later estimated as one of the most severe in recorded history.
The series was printed locally under constrained wartime conditions, which accounts for occasional inconsistencies in ink saturation found across surviving examples.