50 Drachmai

By 1978, Greek monetary policy was consolidating after a turbulent decade that included the junta years and the transition back to parliamentary democracy in 1974. This note was produced entirely in-house at the state printing works in Holargos — Greece being one of relatively few countries during this period to handle domestic design, engraving, and printing under one roof for its circulating currency.

Xenophon Zolotas, whose signature appears here as Governor, was an economist of considerable influence who would later serve twice as Prime Minister during the 1989–1990 caretaker governments. The engravers — Orfanos on the obverse, Sabatakos on the reverse — were staff craftsmen at Holargos, their work reflecting the Greek printing office's quietly high technical standards.