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overall: Height: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Width: 5.500 inches (13.97 cm)
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German issued Greek currency, 5,000 Drachmai note
Greek currency printed on lightweight, off-white rectangular paper. The face has a large, centered bust of the goddess Athena with a Corinthian helmet sitting on the top of her head. The bust is inside an oval frame bordered with black, rounded lobes. Flanking the bust are several lines of Greek text and the numeric denomination in black. The frame and text are overlaid on a rectangular image of a portion of the Parthenon Frieze, comprised of red, hatched lines depicting several men in tunics leading bulls to slaughter. The image is overlaid on a green, rectangular background comprised of narrow rows filled in with small, Greek text. The serial number is stamped on the upper right in red ink. The background has a black border with Greek text at the top and the numeric denomination at each corner. The reverse has a large, centered rectangle comprised of yellow woven lines framed by a black scalloped border with a centered upper band with black, Greek text inside. Overlaid in the center is an image of two men on horseback comprised of hatched lines. The lead man, on the left, wears a loincloth, and the man behind wears a flowing tunic. Flanking the image is the numerical denomination overlaid on a scrollwork design and a woven background inside a medallion shape. Below the image is a line of black, Greek text. face, top, right, stamped red ink : ΘΚ 567452
The currency was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Joel Forman.
German-issued Greek National currency valued at 5,000 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 and history. Featured on this note is Athena, goddess of wisdom and courage. The reverse features an image from The Parthenon Frieze, block W X. 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 Greeks 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 of Greeks died from lack of food during the German occupation.