Around 600BC city-states began to make their own coins. Greek coins had images of important people, symbols, local produce or gods and heroes and inscriptions to emphasize the independence and individuality of the city where they were made.
When Greece finally achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1828, the phoenix was introduced as the monetary unit; its use was short-lived, however, and in 1832 the phoenix was replaced by the drachma, adorned with the image of King Otto, who reigned as modern Greece’s first king from 1832 to 1862. The drachma was divided into 100 lepta. In 2002 the drachma ceased to be legal tender after the euro, the monetary unit of the European Union, became Greece’s sole currency.
New coins were issued after the fall of the junta in 1974: 10-lepta coins (raging bull, after a coin of Thourii (ancient Greek colony in South Italy), 20-lepta coins (bust of a horse), 50-lepta coins (Markos Botsaris), 1-drachma coins (Konstantinos Kanaris and a corvette), 2-drachma coins (Georgios Karaiskakis), 5-drachma coins (Aristotle), 10-drachma coins (Demokritos) and 20-drachma coins (Pericles). They all depict the national coat of arms of the Hellenic Republic.
Georgios Karaiskakis born Georgios Karaiskos 1782 – 1827, was a famous Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence.
OBVERSE: The portrait in left profile of Georgios Karaiskakis (1782-1827), a famous Greek klepht, armatolos, military commander, and a hero of the Greek War of Independence
Lettering: ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ ΚΑΡΑΙΣΚΑΚΗΣ
Translation: Georgios Karaiskakis
Engravers: L. Orphanos, Nikos Perantinos
REVERSE: Two crossed rifles with branch, denomination and date below
Lettering: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ 19 2 76
Translation: Hellenic Republic Drachmai
Engravers: Nikos Perantinos, L. Orphanos
EDGE : Reeded
Designer : Nikos Perantinos (1910 - 1991), was Greek sculptor, coin designer
Designer : L. Orphanos (1916-1995), was Greek artist, hired by the Bank of Greece as Head of the Artistic Design and Engraving Department of the Bank of Greece Banknote Printing Works.
Mint : The National Mint of the Bank of Greece Athens, Greece
Mintage in 1976 92 401 000
Country Greece
Period Third Hellenic Republic (since 1974)
President Konstantinos Tsatsos (1975-1980)
Type Standard circulation coin
Years 1976-1980
Value 2 Drachmai
Currency Third modern drachma (1954-2001)
Composition Nickel brass (79% Copper, 20% Zinc, 1% Nickel)
Weight 6.07 g
Diameter 24 mm
Thickness 1.95 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized 28 February 2002
References KM# 117, Schön# 60