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50 Lepta
| Issuer | Greek State (Ελληνική Πολιτεία) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
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| Currency | First modern drachma (1832-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-style vignette of the Winged Victory of Samothrace printed in red at left within a rectangular frame, set against a yellow-ochre guilloche underprint covering the entire note. The large numeral '50' in ornate letterpress with a decorative floral cartouche occupies the centre, flanked by the denomination legend 'ΛΕΠΤΑ' on each side. The issuer title 'ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ' runs across the top in bold capitals, with the series designation, serial number, and facsimile signature of the Minister of Finance arranged in the right field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of the Byzantine church of Panagia Kapnikarea in Athens, rendered in detailed letterpress in red-brown on a plain cream ground, occupying the full width between two large circular '50' numerals in the lower corners. The legislative decree reference is printed across the top margin, and an anti-counterfeiting warning legend runs along the bottom border beneath the church vignette. |
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| Comments |
The Greek State (Ελληνική Πολιτεία) designation marks the Axis-occupation administration that replaced the legitimate government after the April 1941 invasion. This 50 Lepta was issued during the early occupation period, when the collaborationist authorities relied on domestic printing capacity — Aspioti-ELKA in Athens — rather than any foreign facility. The choice was pragmatic: the prewar drachma system needed small-denomination notes quickly, and Aspioti-ELKA was already the country's established commercial printer.
The hyperinflation that would eventually render all such notes worthless was still gathering force in 1941; by 1944, a loaf of bread cost billions of drachmai.