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100 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870-1887 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Drachmai |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DE GRECE 100 FRANCS |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by three large interlocking guilloche rosettes in green, the central medallion bearing the inscription BANQUE NATIONALE / 100 / FRANCS. / DE / GRECE in multiple concentric bands, flanked by two lateral rosettes each overprinted with the numeral 100. A large red-ink counterprint of the numeral 100 in open script runs across the lower half of the note, and the printer's imprint American Bank Note Co. New-York appears twice in the lower margin. |
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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 domestic printing capacity simply could not produce security printing of sufficient quality to deter forgery. ABNC dominated Greek note production through much of the nineteenth century, and the long date range here — nearly two decades — reflects not a single uninterrupted issue but rather successive reprintings from the same intaglio plates as stocks were depleted.
Greece during this period was operating under chronic fiscal pressure, its finances still partly subject to foreign oversight following the loan guarantees of the 1830s. The 100 Drachmai denomination would have represented a substantial sum in daily commerce.