Catalog
500 Drachmai Corfu
| Issuer | Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse lettering | BIGLIETTO A CORSO LEGALE PER LE ISOLE JONIE ΧΑΡΤΟΝΟΜΙΣΜΑ ΕΧΟΝ ΝΟΜΙΜΟΝ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑΝ ΕΝ ΤΑΙΣ ΙΟΝΙΟΙΣ ΝΗΣΟΙΣ DRACME 1000 ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ IL TESORIERE |
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| Reverse lettering | ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΥΠΟΚΑΤΑΣΤΗΜΑ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑΣ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ 500 ΠΕΝΤΑΚΟΣΙΑΙ ΕΚΔΟΘΕΙΣΑ ΒΑΣΕΙ ΤΗΣ ΥΠ ΑΡΙΘ. ΤΟ ΤΗΣ 15ΗΣ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 1944 ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΤΙΚΗΣ ΔΙΑΤΑΓΜΑΣ ΕΧΟΥΣΗΣ ΝΟΜΙΜΟΝ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑΝ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΝΟΜΟΥΣ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΛΗΡΩΤΕΑΙ ΕΠΙ ΤΗΙ ΕΜΦΑΝΙΣΕΙ ΕΝ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑ ΤΗΙ 15ΗΙ ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ 1944 ΔΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΤΙΚΟΝ ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΟΝ ΔΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ |
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The Corfu overprint series of 1944 was issued specifically for Allied-liberated Greek territory rather than the German-occupied mainland — a deliberate administrative separation intended to prevent overprinted notes from being exploited by Axis forces or black market operators moving between zones. These notes were regular Bank of Greece issues stamped for restricted regional circulation.
Greece's wartime hyperinflation was among the worst in recorded monetary history; by late 1944, the drachma had effectively collapsed, making denominations like this one nearly worthless in daily transactions almost the moment they were issued.