German issued Greek currency, 500,000 Drachmai note
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 2.375 inches (6.033 cm) | Width: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm)
Creator(s)
- Trapeza te?s Hellados (Issuer)
Archival History
The currency was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Joel Forman.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Joel Forman
Scope and Content
German-issued Greek National currency valued at 500,000 Drachmai. The Greek currency, called Drachma, can be traced back to the 6th century BC. The currency was discontinued after the Roman conquest of Greece, and reissued after Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Many of the Greek notes featured figures and images from Greek Mythology. Featured on this note is Zeus, god of thunder, and king of the Olympian gods. On October 28, 1940, Italy invaded Greece, but they were repelled by the Greek forces. On April 6, 1941, Germany invaded Greece to support Italy and forced the Grecians to surrender by the end of the month. Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria collectively occupied Greece until Italy’s surrender to the Allies in September 1943. Then Germany occupied all of Greece, and forced the Greek government to pay for the occupation by printing more paper money with higher denominations. The excess Drachmai caused hyperinflation, and the price for goods and services rose dramatically. During the occupation, the price of corn was 9 million Drachmai per pound. The essentially worthless paper bills gave way to bartering of supplies such as olive oil, cigarettes, and wheat. Due to the invasion and the harsh economic policies, hundreds of thousands Grecians died from lack of food during the German occupation.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Greek currency printed on lightweight, off-white rectangular paper. The face has a large, centered, light red, rectangular area framed by a black border with white, interlaced lines throughout. On the left is a bust of Zeus, facing forward, with a long beard against a black, crosshatch background. The bust is inside an oval frame made of interlocking circles and flanked by an outcropping of sinuous lines. To the right, inside a symmetrical frame, are several lines of black, Greek text, and the numeric denomination overlaid on a floral background. A line of black text is overprinted in the center of the upper border, and a serial number located in the upper right corner has been stamped in red. The numeric denomination is in each corner of the border. The background is composed of small, geometric shapes fit tightly together with a floral element in the center. The reverse has a large, centered, light green rectangle framed by a black border with a stepped interior. The denomination is in each corner, a ribbon with black text is overlaid in the center of the upper border, and a line of text is at the bottom. In the center, in black, is the denomination, overlain on a background image of ears of wheat. It is framed by three rows of black, trellised, oval borders with scalloped outer edges. The border is overlaid on a ribbon comprised of sinuous, folded lines. The background consists of columns of quatrefoils overlaid on interlocked circles. The ink from the serial number has bled through the paper on the reverse.
face, upper right, stamped, red ink : BΓ 719392
Subjects
- Zeus (Greek deity)
- Paper money--Greece--History.
- Greece--Economic conditions--1918-1974.
- Greece--History--Occupation, 1941-1944.
- Banks and banking.
- Greece.
Genre
- Money.
- Object
- Exchange Media