{"product_id":"greece-p201-500-drachmes-1983-fvf-kapodistrias-old-fortress-corfu","title":"Greece P201 500 Drachmes 1983 FVF—1st Head of Modern Greece—Corfu Fortress","description":"\u003cp\u003eA deep green note from Greece's Third Hellenic Republic, honoring the man who built the modern Greek state from scratch and the island fortress that guarded the gateway to the Mediterranean for centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n    \u003cul\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003eDeep green on multicolor underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePortrait:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ioannis_Kapodistrias\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eIoannis Kapodistrias\u003c\/a\u003e at center-left — first Governor of independent Greece and former Foreign Minister of Russia\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesign elements:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kapodistrias' birthplace at lower right; book and quill at lower center; face value and date at center\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gerasimos_Arsenis\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGerasimos Arsenis\u003c\/a\u003e, Gov.; Efst. Konidaris, Manager\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ioannis Pipinis\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBack\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n    \u003cul\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003eDeep green on multicolor underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eScene:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Old_Fortress_of_Corfu\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eOld Fortress of Corfu\u003c\/a\u003e at center; grapes at lower right\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eleonora Perraki-Pipinis\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-201a; Numista N#205994\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Charioteer of Delphi, dedicated to Polyzalos\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 × 72 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), Athens\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e: March 31, 2012\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gerasimos_Arsenis\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGerasimos Arsenis\u003c\/a\u003e, Gov.; Efst. Konidaris, Manager\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Third modern drachma (1954–2001)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Man Who Built Greece\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIoannis Kapodistrias\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003e1776–1831\u003c\/strong\u003e) is one of the most remarkable statesmen of the 19th century — a \u003cstrong\u003eCorfiot nobleman\u003c\/strong\u003e who rose to become Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire under Tsar Alexander I, then returned to become the \u003cstrong\u003efirst Governor of independent Greece\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1827. He inherited a country devastated by war, with no functioning institutions, no currency, no army, and no civil administration. In just four years he built a central government, established a national currency, founded schools, and created a professional military. He was \u003cstrong\u003eassassinated in 1831\u003c\/strong\u003e outside a church in Nafplio by members of a powerful clan he had tried to rein in — a reminder that nation-building has always had enemies. His legacy is so profound that his face appeared on the \u003cstrong\u003eGreek 500 drachma\u003c\/strong\u003e for decades, and the main square of Corfu Town bears his name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Fortress That Never Fell to Siege\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eOld Fortress of Corfu\u003c\/strong\u003e (Palaio Frourio) sits on a rocky promontory jutting into the Ionian Sea, separated from Corfu Town by an artificial moat cut by the \u003cstrong\u003eVenetians\u003c\/strong\u003e in the 15th century. It was the Venetians who transformed it into one of the most formidable fortifications in the Mediterranean, guarding the crucial sea lanes between the Adriatic and the eastern Mediterranean for over \u003cstrong\u003e400 years\u003c\/strong\u003e. The fortress withstood repeated Ottoman sieges — most famously in \u003cstrong\u003e1571\u003c\/strong\u003e, the same year as the Battle of Lepanto — and was never taken by force. It passed to \u003cstrong\u003eNapoleon\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1797, then to the British, before finally becoming Greek in \u003cstrong\u003e1864\u003c\/strong\u003e when Britain ceded the Ionian Islands to Greece as a gift to the newly crowned King George I.\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 the Latin \u003cem\u003eGraecia\u003c\/em\u003e, the Roman name for the region; Greeks call their country \u003cstrong\u003eHellas\u003c\/strong\u003e (Ελλάδα), 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. ~665,000; metro pop. ~3.6 million\n    \u003cul\u003e\n      \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Named after \u003cstrong\u003eAthena\u003c\/strong\u003e, goddess of wisdom, who won a contest with Poseidon for patronage of the city by gifting an olive tree\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) — comparable to Michigan or Portugal\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e 131,957 km² \/ 50,949 mi² — comparable to Alabama or England\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGDP per capita at \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, fruits\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria (north); Turkey (northeast); surrounded by the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial\/spoken languages:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greek\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicities:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Greeks\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGreek\u003c\/a\u003e (~91%), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Albanians_in_Greece\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAlbanian\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); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Council_of_Europe\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCouncil of Europe\u003c\/a\u003e (founding member, 1949)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ancient city-states → Macedonian Empire → Roman\/Byzantine rule → Ottoman Empire (1453–1821) → Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) → Kingdom of Greece (1832–1974) → Third Hellenic Republic (1974–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eGreece Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCradle of democracy:\u003c\/strong\u003e Athens introduced the world's first democratic system around \u003cstrong\u003e508 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e under Cleisthenes — though only free male citizens could vote\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDebt crisis:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greece triggered the \u003cstrong\u003e2010 European sovereign debt crisis\u003c\/strong\u003e, receiving the largest financial bailout in history at the time (~€289 billion), and endured a decade of brutal austerity\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIslands:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greece has over \u003cstrong\u003e6,000 islands\u003c\/strong\u003e, of which only about 227 are inhabited — making it one of the most island-rich countries on Earth\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAncient legacy:\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003eOlympic Games\u003c\/strong\u003e originated in Olympia, Greece, in \u003cstrong\u003e776 BC\u003c\/strong\u003e — held every four years for over a millennium before being banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 393 AD\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShipping power:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greece controls the \u003cstrong\u003elargest merchant shipping fleet\u003c\/strong\u003e in the world by tonnage — a modern echo of its ancient maritime dominance\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrain drain:\u003c\/strong\u003e Since the 2010 debt crisis, an estimated \u003cstrong\u003e500,000 Greeks\u003c\/strong\u003e — many of them young and educated — emigrated, one of the largest brain drains in modern European history\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMythology everywhere:\u003c\/strong\u003e Over \u003cstrong\u003e40% of English words\u003c\/strong\u003e have Greek roots — from \"democracy\" to \"telephone\" to \"galaxy\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOwn this FVF 500 Drachmes and hold the man who built a nation and the fortress that never fell — two symbols of Greek resilience on a single deep green note.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52633956581687,"sku":"GR201FVF","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/201-FVF-or.png?v=1783470271","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/greece-p201-500-drachmes-1983-fvf-kapodistrias-old-fortress-corfu","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}