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25 Drachmai
| Issuer | National Bank of Greece |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of Georgios Stavros set within an oval guilloche vignette at left, with the serial number and large bold denomination numeral '25' at centre against a fine guilloche underprint. The bank title 'ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ' runs across the top panel, while the written denomination 'ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΕΙΚΟΣΙΠΕΝΤΕ' appears below the central numeral, accompanied by a payability clause and the date 5 March 1923. Two manuscript signatures appear at the lower centre, with the prefix letter series and serial number rendered in red. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central intaglio vignette of the Temple of Athena Nike on the Athenian Acropolis, rendered in fine detail against an open sky, flanked symmetrically on either side by large guilloche rosettes bearing the numeral '25'. The bank title 'ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ' is inscribed across the upper border, with the written denomination 'ΕΚΔΟΣΙΣ ΕΝΔΕΚΑΤΗ' along the lower margin. The overall design is executed in blue-grey intaglio with an intricate geometric border frame. |
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| Comments |
This note was issued during one of the most turbulent periods in modern Greek monetary history. The 1920s saw Greece absorbing over a million refugees following the catastrophic population exchange with Turkey after the Asia Minor disaster of 1922 — a humanitarian and fiscal emergency that placed the National Bank under severe strain. New currency in small denominations was urgently needed to keep domestic trade moving.
Bradbury Wilkinson had a long relationship with Greek authorities and produced several denominations in this period. The P#71 series is notably scarce in circulated grades, likely because low-denomination notes of this type were used hard and discarded.