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10 Dracme
| Issuer | Cassa Mediterranea di Credito per la Grecia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
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| Reference(s) | P#M2 |
| Obverse description | At right, an intaglio-engraved vignette of a classical male head in three-quarter profile, rendered in a sculptural style evoking an ancient Greek bust. The left portion of the note carries the bilingual issuer title in Italian and Greek above a large central guilloche rosette enclosing the numeral "10", flanked by the denomination in Italian (BUONO PER DIECI DRACME) and Greek (ΑΞΙΑ ΔΕΚΑ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ). The entire design is printed in red on cream paper, with a fine dotted border frame enclosing the composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CASSA MEDITERRANEA DI CREDITO PER LA GRECIA ΜΕΣΟΓΕΙΟΝ ΤΑΜΕΙΟΝ ΠΙΣΤΕΩΣ ΔΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ BVONO PER DIECI DRACME 10 ΑΞΙΑ ΔΕΚΑ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ IL PRESENTE BVONO DEVE ESSERE ACCETTATO IN PAGAMENTO PER IL SVO VALORE NOMINALE ΤΟ ΠΑΡΟΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΟΝ ΠΡΕΠΕΙ ΝΑ ΔΕΧΘΗ ΕΙΣ ΠΛΗΡΟΜΗΝ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΟΝΟΜΑΣΤΙΚΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΞΙΑΝ (Translation: MEDITERRANEAN CREDIT FUND OF GREECE GOOD FOR TEN DRACHMAI 10 THIS VOUCHER MUST BE ACCEPTED IN PAYMENT FOR ITS NOMINAL VALUE) |
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The Cassa Mediterranea di Credito per la Grecia was a purpose-built Italian occupation institution, established in 1941 to manage currency in Greece following the Axis invasion. It issued notes denominated in drachmai but backed by nothing — the occupying forces used them to extract Greek goods and labor at will, contributing directly to the hyperinflationary spiral that by 1944 had rendered all such notes worthless. This was deliberate monetary extraction, not banking.
The Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato printed the entire series in Rome, which means surviving examples crossed the Adriatic before ever entering circulation in Athens.