Catalog
500 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1841 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Drachmai |
| 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) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Elaborate engraved border surrounds the entire note, with classical allegorical statues standing at the far left and far right margins. The Greek royal coat of arms appears at the top centre, above the bank title inscription and founding law reference. Three signature lines for the Director, Royal Commissioner, and Treasurer appear in the lower central field, with a circular handstamp at left for serial entry; multiple ΑΚΥΡΟΝ (cancelled) overprints are applied diagonally across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ Κατασταθείσα δια του Νόμου της 30 Μαρτίου 1841. ΠΛΗΡΩΤΕΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΜΕΤΡΗΤΑ ΤΩ ΚΟΜΙΣΤΗ, ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΜΦΑΝΙΣΙΝ. ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΠΕΝΤΑΚΟΣΙΑΙ. Ο ΔΙΕΥΘΥΝΤΗΣ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛ. ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΟΣ Ο ΤΑΜΙΑΣ ΑΚΥΡΟΝ |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The National Bank of Greece was only established in 1841 — the same year this note was issued — making this among the earliest output of the institution's entire existence. Greece itself had only been internationally recognized as an independent state since 1832, and the creation of a national bank with note-issuing privileges was a deliberate act of economic consolidation under King Otto's Bavarian-influenced administration.
Surviving examples from this first series are exceptionally rare. The bank's early note production was low-volume, and Greece's monetary infrastructure in the 1840s was fragile enough that paper instruments faced considerable public resistance from a population still oriented toward coin.