{"product_id":"greece-p196-100-drachmas-1966-7-fvf","title":"Greece P196 100 Drachmas 1966-7 FVF—Philospoher Democritus—Academy of Athens","description":"\u003cp\u003eA striking mid-century Greek banknote honoring \u003cstrong\u003eDemocritus\u003c\/strong\u003e — the ancient philosopher who first proposed that all matter is made of indivisible atoms — paired on the reverse with the magnificent \u003cstrong\u003eAcademy of Athens\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the most beautiful neoclassical buildings in the world. Issued during the turbulent final years before Greece's military junta collapsed, this note bridges antiquity and modernity in a single design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Red on multicolor\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemocritus:\u003c\/strong\u003e Statue of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Democritus\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemocritus\u003c\/a\u003e at left\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e Value at center\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemokritos Center:\u003c\/strong\u003e Building of the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NCSR_Demokritos\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNational Center for Scientific Research \"Demokritos\"\u003c\/a\u003e and atom symbol at right\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dimitrios_Galanis\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDimitrios Galanis\u003c\/a\u003e (Gov., Bank of Greece); Manager signature unknown\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Georgios Angelopoulos\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesigner:\u003c\/strong\u003e Giorgos Velissaridis\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBack\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Red on multicolor\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcademy of Athens:\u003c\/strong\u003e Building of the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Academy_of_Athens\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAcademy of Athens\u003c\/a\u003e at center\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Georgios Angelopoulos\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesigner:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yannis Stinis\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e You may receive any variety:\n    \u003cul\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003eP-196a — 1966, signature Xenophon Zolotas; prefixes 01Α–01Φ only; 5,250,000 printed\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003eP-196b — 1967, signature Dimitrios Galanis; prefixes 02Α–27Φ; ~546,000,000 printed\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-196ar — Replacement (prefix 00Α), as a — not this listing\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-196as — Specimen, as a — not this listing\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-196br — Replacement (prefix 00Α), as b — not this listing\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-196bs — Specimen, as b — not this listing\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-196a \/ P-196b; Numista N#207379\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Head of the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Antikythera_Ephebe\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAntikythera Ephebe\u003c\/a\u003e — a bronze statue of a youth recovered from an ancient shipwreck\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 159 × 67 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bank_of_Greece\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBank of Greece\u003c\/a\u003e (Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e Banknote and Currency Printing Office (Ίδρυμα Εκτυπώσεως Τραπεζογραμματίων και Αξιών), Greece (1947–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Greek_drachma\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThird modern drachma\u003c\/a\u003e (1954–2001)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDemocritus: The Man Who Invented the Atom — 2,400 Years Early\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn around \u003cstrong\u003e460 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e in Abdera, Thrace, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Democritus\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemocritus\u003c\/a\u003e proposed one of the most radical ideas in the history of human thought: that all matter is composed of tiny, indivisible particles he called \u003cstrong\u003eatomos\u003c\/strong\u003e — \"uncuttable.\" He arrived at this conclusion not through experiment, but through pure philosophical reasoning. He was largely ignored for two millennia. Then, in \u003cstrong\u003e1803\u003c\/strong\u003e, John Dalton revived the atomic theory with experimental evidence, and by the 20th century, the atom had become the foundation of modern physics, chemistry, and the nuclear age. The building shown alongside his statue on this note — the \u003cstrong\u003eNational Center for Scientific Research \"Demokritos\"\u003c\/strong\u003e — was named in his honor and houses Greece's only nuclear research reactor. A philosopher on a banknote, next to an atom symbol: rarely has a note's design been so intellectually coherent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Academy of Athens: Greece's Temple of Knowledge\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eAcademy of Athens\u003c\/strong\u003e on the reverse is one of the most photographed buildings in Greece — a gleaming neoclassical palace completed in \u003cstrong\u003e1885\u003c\/strong\u003e, designed by Danish architect \u003cstrong\u003eTheophil Hansen\u003c\/strong\u003e as part of the \"Athens Trilogy\" alongside the National Library and the University of Athens. Its facade features colossal statues of \u003cstrong\u003eAthena\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eApollo\u003c\/strong\u003e flanking the entrance, with \u003cstrong\u003ePlato\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSocrates\u003c\/strong\u003e seated at the base. The Academy is Greece's highest research institution, founded in \u003cstrong\u003e1926\u003c\/strong\u003e. That such a building graces the 100-drachma note — the workhorse denomination of everyday commerce — says everything about how Greeks see the relationship between knowledge and daily life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Greece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"Greece\" derives from Latin \u003cem\u003eGraecia\u003c\/em\u003e, the Roman name for the region; Greeks call their country \u003cstrong\u003eHellas\u003c\/strong\u003e (Ελλάς), from \u003cem\u003eHellen\u003c\/em\u003e, the mythological ancestor of the Greek people\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapital:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Athens\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAthens\u003c\/a\u003e — city pop. ~664,000; metro pop. ~3.6 million\n    \u003cul\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Named after the goddess \u003cstrong\u003eAthena\u003c\/strong\u003e, patron deity of the city; the origin of Athena's own name remains debated — possibly pre-Greek\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~10.4 million (UN 2023) — similar to Michigan or Portugal\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e 131,957 km² (50,949 mi²) — similar to Alabama or England\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGDP per capita (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purchasing_power_parity\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePPP\u003c\/a\u003e):\u003c\/strong\u003e ~$40,000 (IMF 2024)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain exports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Petroleum products, aluminum, pharmaceuticals, olive oil, cotton, tobacco, fruits\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria (north); Turkey (northeast); surrounded by Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial\/spoken languages:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greek (official); minority languages include Turkish, Macedonian, Albanian\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicities:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Greeks\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGreeks\u003c\/a\u003e (~91%); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Albanians_in_Greece\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAlbanians\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bulgarians_in_Greece\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBulgarians\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Romani_people_in_Greece\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eRoma\u003c\/a\u003e, and others\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMemberships:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Nations\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited Nations\u003c\/a\u003e (founding member, 1945); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NATO\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNATO\u003c\/a\u003e (1952); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/European_Union\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEuropean Union\u003c\/a\u003e (1981, first enlargement); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eurozone\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEurozone\u003c\/a\u003e (2001, replacing the drachma)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Independence from the Ottoman Empire declared \u003cstrong\u003e1821\u003c\/strong\u003e; recognized 1830; modern republic established 1974 after the fall of the military junta\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eGreece Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDebt crisis:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greece triggered the worst sovereign debt crisis in EU history (2010–2018), receiving three international bailouts totaling over €289 billion — the largest in history at the time\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAncient democracy:\u003c\/strong\u003e Athens invented democracy around \u003cstrong\u003e508 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e — and then lost it repeatedly to oligarchs, tyrants, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans for the next 2,400 years\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShipping dominance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greek shipowners control roughly \u003cstrong\u003e20% of global shipping tonnage\u003c\/strong\u003e — more than any other nation — despite Greece having only 0.13% of the world's population\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMilitary junta:\u003c\/strong\u003e From \u003cstrong\u003e1967 to 1974\u003c\/strong\u003e, Greece was ruled by a military dictatorship (the \"Regime of the Colonels\") — this note was issued the very year the junta seized power\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAntikythera mechanism:\u003c\/strong\u003e The watermark references the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Antikythera_Ephebe\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAntikythera Ephebe\u003c\/a\u003e, a bronze statue of a youth from the same shipwreck that yielded the \u003cstrong\u003eAntikythera mechanism\u003c\/strong\u003e — a 2,000-year-old analog computer that calculated astronomical positions\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOldest city in Europe:\u003c\/strong\u003e Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least \u003cstrong\u003e7,000 years\u003c\/strong\u003e, making it one of the oldest cities in the world\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNuclear research:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Demokritos center depicted on this note operates Greece's only nuclear research reactor, used for medical isotope production and materials science — not weapons\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOwn this note and hold the atom in your hands — Democritus dreamed it, the 20th century proved it, and Greece put it on its money. A 100-drachma note that carries more intellectual history per square centimeter than almost any other banknote ever printed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52634093650231,"sku":"GR196FVF","price":1.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/196-FVF-OR.png?v=1783478441","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/greece-p196-100-drachmas-1966-7-fvf","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}