{"product_id":"greece-p197-500-drachmas-1968-fvf","title":"Greece P197 500 Drachmas 1968 FVF—Great Eleusinian Relief—Demeter—Knossos Goat","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the most mythologically rich banknotes Greece ever produced — the \u003cstrong\u003eGreat Eleusinian Relief\u003c\/strong\u003e on the front, a \u003cstrong\u003eMinoan wild goat carving from Knossos\u003c\/strong\u003e on the back, and the ghost of the \u003cstrong\u003eAntikythera Ephebe\u003c\/strong\u003e in the watermark. Three masterpieces of ancient Greek art on a single note, issued under the Regime of the Colonels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Olive on multicolor\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGreat Eleusinian Relief:\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Eleusinian_Relief\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGreat Eleusinian Relief\u003c\/a\u003e at center — depicting \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demeter\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemeter\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Triptolemos\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eTriptolemos\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Persephone\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePersephone\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark area:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blank area at left reserved for watermark\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e Value and date on multicolored guilloches 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 Lambros Orfanos\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 Olive on multicolor\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKnossos goat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ancient carving from \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knossos\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKnossos\u003c\/a\u003e depicting a wild goat and its kid at bottom left\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFruits and printer's name:\u003c\/strong\u003e At bottom center\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark area:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blank area at right\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Georgios Angelopoulos\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-197a; Numista N#205365\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 158 × 74 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\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dimitrios_Galanis\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDimitrios Galanis\u003c\/a\u003e (Gov.); Manager unknown\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\u003eThe Great Eleusinian Relief: The Most Sacred Image in Ancient Greece\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe central image on this note is not just any sculpture — it is the \u003cstrong\u003eGreat Eleusinian Relief\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the most revered works of art in the ancient world, carved around \u003cstrong\u003e440–430 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e and now housed in the \u003cstrong\u003eNational Archaeological Museum of Athens\u003c\/strong\u003e. It depicts three figures from the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eleusinian_Mysteries\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEleusinian Mysteries\u003c\/a\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003eDemeter\u003c\/strong\u003e, goddess of the harvest, presenting a sheaf of wheat to the young prince \u003cstrong\u003eTriptolemos\u003c\/strong\u003e, while \u003cstrong\u003ePersephone\u003c\/strong\u003e crowns him with a wreath. The scene encodes the founding myth of agriculture itself — Demeter's gift of grain to humanity, transmitted through Triptolemos, who was sent across the world to teach mortals how to grow food. The Eleusinian Mysteries were the most important religious rites in ancient Greece, practiced for nearly \u003cstrong\u003e2,000 years\u003c\/strong\u003e at Eleusis, just west of Athens. Their content was so secret that initiates faced death for revealing them — and to this day, we still don't know exactly what happened inside. Putting this image on the 500-drachma note — the highest denomination in everyday circulation — was a statement of civilizational pride.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Knossos Goat: Minoan Art from 3,500 Years Ago\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse features an ancient carving from \u003cstrong\u003eKnossos\u003c\/strong\u003e, the great palace complex of the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Minoan_civilization\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMinoan civilization\u003c\/a\u003e on Crete, depicting a \u003cstrong\u003ewild goat (agrimi) and its kid\u003c\/strong\u003e. The Minoans were Europe's first advanced civilization, flourishing from around \u003cstrong\u003e2700 to 1450 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e — centuries before classical Greece. Their art is remarkable for its naturalism, energy, and joy: dolphins leaping, bulls charging, goats nursing their young. The agrimi (Cretan wild goat, \u003cem\u003eCapra aegagrus cretica\u003c\/em\u003e) still roams the mountains of Crete today and remains a symbol of the island. By pairing a Minoan carving with the Eleusinian Relief, this note spans nearly \u003cstrong\u003e3,000 years\u003c\/strong\u003e of Greek artistic tradition on a single piece of paper.\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\u003eJunta note:\u003c\/strong\u003e This note was issued in \u003cstrong\u003e1969\u003c\/strong\u003e during the \"Regime of the Colonels\" — a military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974; the junta chose ancient religious imagery for its highest denomination while suppressing modern political freedoms\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEleusinian Mysteries:\u003c\/strong\u003e The rites depicted on the front were practiced for nearly \u003cstrong\u003e2,000 years\u003c\/strong\u003e and their secrets were so well kept that we still don't know what initiates experienced inside the Telesterion at Eleusis\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMinoan mystery:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Minoan civilization — whose art appears on the reverse — collapsed suddenly around \u003cstrong\u003e1450 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e, possibly from the eruption of Thera (Santorini), one of the largest volcanic events in human history\u003c\/li\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\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\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\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOwn this note and hold 3,000 years of Greek civilization in your hands — Demeter's sacred gift on the front, a Minoan goat on the back, and a bronze youth in the watermark. The 500-drachma note is Greece's most mythologically dense banknote, and one of the most beautiful ever printed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52634102333751,"sku":"GR197aFVF","price":1.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/197-FVF-OR.png?v=1783479391","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/greece-p197-500-drachmas-1968-fvf","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}