Catalog
500 Drachmai
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1926 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Drachmai |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette carries a bust portrait of Georgios Stavros, founder of the National Bank of Greece, set within an oval frame at the centre of the note. The design is executed in intaglio with fine guilloche underprint patterns framing the portrait. Denomination and issuing authority inscriptions appear in Greek lettering across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | P#89a - black signature at right P#89b - red signature at right |
| Comments |
Greece's monetary situation in 1926 was severely complicated by the mass influx of refugees following the 1922 population exchange with Turkey — an estimated 1.2 million people resettled in Greece within a few years, placing enormous strain on public finances. The Bank of Greece itself had only been formally established in 1928, meaning this 1926 note was technically issued under the transitional authority preceding the modern central bank's founding charter.
ABNC's involvement was a deliberate choice for credibility. Greek authorities repeatedly contracted American and European security printers during the interwar period specifically to deter the sophisticated counterfeiting operations that had plagued domestically printed issues.