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10 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878-1883 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Drachmai |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A bust portrait of Georgios Stavros occupies the upper centre, flanked by the national arms at lower left and a Nereid vignette at lower right. The face is framed by elaborate guilloche border work rendered in fine intaglio line engraving, characteristic of American Bank Note Company production of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Three large circular guilloche medallions are arranged across the width of the note, each enclosing the denomination numeral '10'; the central medallion incorporates a radiating sunburst surround bearing the bilingual legend 'BANQUE NATIONALE DE GRECE / 10 FRANCOS'. Below the medallion row, the Greek word 'ΔΕΚΑ' appears in large block letters in teal ink. |
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| Comments |
The National Bank of Greece turned to the American Bank Note Company for this series at a time when Greek sovereign credit was fragile and the country was still navigating the fiscal aftermath of its post-independence decades. ABNC was the prestige choice for smaller nations seeking notes that would project stability — the New York imprint carried weight with a skeptical public.
The multi-year date range reflects a practice of issuing against a single print run over an extended period rather than commissioning fresh notes annually. Survivors from this series are genuinely scarce; Greece's turbulent monetary history through the 1880s meant high redemption rates and poor archival survival.