Greece 5000 Drachmai 1943 P-122 XF – Athena & Parthenon Frieze

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📸 Please Note: We have many of these banknotes in stock. The exact serial numbers and specific wear patterns will vary from the photographs, but the described condition and overall quality remain exactly the same.

One of the most beautiful notes of wartime Greece: the 1943 5000 Drachmai with the helmeted goddess Athena and scenes from the Parthenon frieze. Issued under Axis occupation, it was printed in vast quantities as Greece’s hyperinflation accelerated.

⚡ Extreme Index: 8.6 / 10
Why it’s extreme: Classical Athena and the Parthenon horsemen on money printed as the occupation economy spiralled out of control.

• History & drama (30%): 8/10
• Scarcity (25%): 3.4/10 (Numista rarity index 18/100)
• Wow factor (20%): 7.5/10
• Age (15%): 7/10
• Condition (10%): 7/10

Hyperinflation rule applied: notes from history’s great hyperinflations score between 8.0 and 9.4.

The Extreme Index is Extreme Banknotes’ own collector score based on history, scarcity, curiosity, age and condition — it is not a valuation or investment rating.

📦 Included Banknote(s):

1. 19 July 1943 Greece 5000 Drachmai (P-122)

📖 History and Significance:
By 1943 occupied Greece was in economic free fall: the famine of 1941–42 had killed tens of thousands, and the Bank of Greece printed ever larger notes to cover occupation costs. The 5000 Drachmai of 19 July 1943 was part of this “occupation inflation” series; within a year it had lost almost all its value, and by 1944 notes of up to 100 billion drachmai were in circulation. In November 1944, after liberation, the old drachma was replaced at 50 billion to one.

🎨 Design Details:
The obverse shows a helmeted Athena in a central oval, flanked on both sides by a bas-relief of cattle being led to sacrifice (from the Parthenon frieze, now in the British Museum). The reverse shows two young horsemen from the west frieze of the Parthenon, framed by large “5000” numerals and the inscription “Ekdosis Triti” (third issue).

🔍 Numismatic Features:

• Size: 140 x 70 mm

• Material: Paper

• Type: Standard Circulation Banknote (Occupation inflation series)

• Currency: Greek Drachma (1832–1944)

• Country: Greece

• Issuing Authority: Bank of Greece (Trapeza tis Ellados)

• Date: 19 July 1943

✅ Condition Guide:
XF (Extremely Fine). An Extremely Fine note has seen only light handling: typically up to three light folds or one stronger crease, bright paper with good crispness, sharp corners and fully vivid colours, with no tears or stains. Because we hold multiple quantities in inventory, the exact serial numbers and specific wear patterns will vary. This condition guide represents our overall quality standard rather than the specific flaws of the photographed note.