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2 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Drachmai |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The note carries the bank title ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ in a rectangular panel at top, with the denomination ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΔΥΟ in bold lettering across the centre field. A vignette of Hermes appears at right, partially obscured by a red overprint reading ΝΟΜΟΣ 281 ΤΟΥ 1917, applied as a validation stamp. Two manuscript signatures appear in the lower centre, with the printer's imprint of Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd London along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΔΥΟ ΝΟΜΟΣ 281 ΤΟΥ 1917 Bradbury Wilkinson & Cº Lᵈ London |
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| Comments |
The 1917 Greek 2 Drachmai belongs to a fractional series issued as Greece's silver coinage effectively vanished from circulation — hoarded by the public during the strains of World War One and the National Schism that had split the country between the royalist government in Athens and Venizelos's rival administration in Thessaloniki. Small-denomination paper was the only practical substitute.
Bradbury Wilkinson printed this in London, which was not unusual for Greek fractional issues of the period — the National Bank routinely contracted British security printers when domestic capacity was insufficient for urgent or high-volume runs.