Commemorative drachma coins

Commemorative

Greek drachma The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history: # An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, f ...

coins have been issued by the Bank of Greece throughout the 20th century. Early (1940–1967) coins were minted in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, but since 1978 all of Greece's commemorative coins have been minted in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

1940 - restored monarchy

Commemorative coins of 1940 were minted to celebrate the five years of the restored Greek monarchy under King

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

. *100 drachmas, silver and copper, George II of Greece, 25 November 1935 *20 drachmas, gold and copper, George II of Greece, 25 November 1935 *100 drachmas, gold and copper, George II of Greece, 25 November 1935

1963 - Centennial of the monarchy

*30 drachmas, silver. The

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

depicts five kings of the House of Glücksburg, 1863–1963. Clockwise from the top:

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

and

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgor ...

1964 - Royal Wedding

*30 drachmas, silver (weight reduced from the 1963 coin). Commemorates the wedding of King Constantine II and Anne-Marie of Denmark. Obverse shows profiles of the couple, reverse the royal crowned double-headed eagle.

1970 - military junta

In 1970 the Greek junta regime issued a number of commemorative coins with the coup d'état of 1967 as a topic. *50 drachmas, silver and copper, phoenix, soldier, 21 April 1967 *100 drachmas, silver and copper, phoenix, soldier, 21 April 1967 *20 drachmas, gold and copper, phoenix, soldier, 21 April 1967 *100 drachmas, gold and copper, phoenix, soldier, 21 April 1967

1978 - 50 years Bank of Greece

The Bank of Greece celebrated its 50th birthday with a commemorative coin in 1978. *100 drachmas, silver,

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded ...

, Bank of Greece 50 years, 1928–1978

1979 - Greece enters the EEC

The coins issued in 1979 celebrating Greece's entry into the European Economic Community were the first ones to feature the modern version of the Greek plural ''δραχμές'' instead of ''δραχμαί''. *500 drachmas, silver, the stealing of

Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliff ...

*10,000 drachmas, gold, Amphiktyon

1981-82 - 14th Paneuropean games

Coins issued in 1981 and 1982 celebrated the 13th Paneuropean games, which were held in Athens in 1982. Although minted two years after the 1979 coin, all of these coins featured the old spelling ''δραχμαί'' again.

1981 - 1st set

*100 drachmas, silver, ancient olympic

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

*250 drachmas, silver, ancient olympic

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...

*500 drachmas, silver, ancient olympic

stadion race ''Stadion'' or ''stade'' ( grc, στάδιον) was an ancient running event, part of the Ancient Olympic Games and the other Panhellenic Games. It was one of the five major Pentathlon events. It was the premier event of the ''gymnikos agon'' ...

*2,500 drachmas, gold,

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, wikt:Ἑρμῆς, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelle ...

*5,000 drachmas, gold,

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

1982 - 2nd set

*100 drachmas, silver, 1896 olympic high jump *250 drachmas, silver, 1896 olympic

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

*500 drachmas, silver, 1896 olympic

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

*2500 drachmas, gold, Spiridon Louis *5000 drachmas, gold,

Pierre De Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; ...

1982 - 3rd set

*100 drachmas, silver, modern

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

*250 drachmas, silver, modern shot put *500 drachmas, silver, modern

*2500 drachmas, gold, Eirene *5,000 drachmas, gold,

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

s flying

1984 - Los Angeles Olympic Games

Two commemorative coins were minted in 1984 to celebrate the XXIII Olympic Games in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. *500 drachmas, silver, ancient olympic torchbearer *5,000 drachmas, gold,

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

1985 - U.N. Decade on the woman

In 1985 two coins were minted celebrating the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Decade for women (1976–1985). *1,000 drachmas, silver, group of women *10,000 drachmas, gold,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

1988 - Chess olympiad in Thessaloniki

The 1988 coins were minted to honour the 28th

Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 an ...

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. *100 drachmas, copper and nickel, chess olympiad emblem and the White Tower *500 drachmas, silver, chess olympiad emblem and ancient chess players

1990 - 50th anniversary 28 October 1940

The two coins minted in 1990 celebrate the 50th anniversary of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

invasion in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The 28th of October is celebrated every year as a national holiday in Greece. *1,000 drachmas, silver, soldiers with horse, 28 October 1940 *20,000 drachmas, gold, soldiers with horse, 28 October 1940

1991 - Mediterranean games in Athens

Two coins were minted in 1991 to celebrate the 11th Mediterranean Games, which were held in

that year. *500 drachmas, silver,

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

*10,000 drachmas, gold,

1993 - 2500 years of democracy

An unusual anniversary, 2500 years of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

, counting from Cleisthenes' democratic constitution of

of 508 BCE, was celebrated with two commemorative drachma coins in 1993. *500 drachmas, silver, demos,

*10,000 drachmas, gold,

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelo ...

1994 - Volleyball centennial

1994 saw the minting of two coins commemorating the 100 years since the creation of the game

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

. *500 drachmas, silver, volleyball players *10,000 drachmas, gold, ''100''

1996 - Atlanta Olympic Games

The XXVI Olympic games in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

were celebrated with the minting of three coins. Their common obverse shows the

Kallimarmaro The Panathenaic Stadium ( el, Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο, Panathinaïkó Stádio, ), as spelled by Philostratus. or ''Kallimarmaro'' (Καλλιμάρμαρο, , lit. "beautiful marble") is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. O ...

stadium in

. *1,000 drachmas, silver, ancient olympic

*1,000 drachmas, silver, ancient olympic

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

*20,000 drachmas, gold, ancient olympic

2000 - Athens Olympic Games

Released for the upcoming 2004 XXVIII Olympic games to be held in

, these six 500 drachmas coins were produced in copper-nickel. Each had a mintage of 4,000,000. They could be purchased as complete sets. The obverse showed a victor's laurel crown. Reverse designs were as follows: *The 2004 Olympic Medal *

Spyridon Louis Spyridon Louis ( el, Σπυρίδων Λούης , sometimes transliterated ''Spiridon Loues''; 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940), commonly known as Spyros Louis (Σπύρος Λούης), was a Greek water carrier who won the first modern-day ...

Baron Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; ...

Diagoras of Rhodes Diagoras of Rhodes (; el, Διαγόρας ὁ Ῥόδιος) was an Ancient Greek boxer from the 5th century BC, who was celebrated for his own victories, as well as the victories of his sons and grandsons. He was a member of the Eratidea fa ...

*Kindling the Olympic flame at Olympia *The Stadium at Olympia

2000 - the last drachma

The last commemorative Greek drachma coin before the introduction of the

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

was a gold version of the last single drachma circulation coin. *1 drachma, gold,

Laskarina Bouboulina Laskarina Bouboulina ( el, Λασκαρίνα Μπουμπουλίνα; 1771 – 22 May 1825) was a Greek naval commander, heroine of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and considered the first woman to attain the rank of admiral. She was b ...

, ship

Commemorative Euro coins

External links

Bank of Greece
{{Euro coins (collectors edition)