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500 000 000 Drachmai Patras
| Issuer | Bank of Greece (Patras Branch) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Large numeral '500' guilloche vignette at centre, printed in blue-grey tones, with the serial number in red at upper right. The heading 'ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ' appears at top with 'ΤΑΜΕΙΑΚΟΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΟΝ' below it, and the denomination in words 'ΠΕΝΤΑΚΟΣΙΑ ΕΚΑΤΟΜΜΥΡΙΑ' runs along the lower border. Text blocks at left and right contain the note's redemption terms and branch authorisation, with the date '7 ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΥ 1944' and reference to the Patras sub-branch, accompanied by two manuscript signatures. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse entirely plain, printed on unadorned cream-coloured paper with no design elements, vignettes, or printed text, consistent with the emergency wartime issue character of this local treasury note. |
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| Comments |
By late 1944, Greek hyperinflation had destroyed any practical relationship between printed denominations and purchasing power. The Patras branch issue of the 500,000,000 drachmai note is one of several regionally-marked emergency emissions the Bank of Greece authorized as Athens struggled to keep denominations even loosely tethered to market prices — a losing effort. Within weeks of any issue, the face value was effectively worthless relative to actual prices.
The Patras overprint distinguishes this from the Athens-issued equivalent in Pick's listing. Collectors should verify the branch marking carefully; misattribution between regional variants is common in this series.