Banknote Museum

The Banknote Museum of Alpha Bank is a museum located in Corfu, Greece.^[2][3] It showcases an almost complete collection of the Greek currency from 1822 to present, about 2000 items.^[1][2][4] It includes the first treasury bonds issued by the newly liberated Greek State in 1822 until the replacement of the drachma by the euro in 2002.^[1][3] It also includes sketches essays and printing plates of Greek banknotes.^[2] One of its rarest holdings is the 1860 "colonata".^[1] The museum was established in 1981 by the Ionian Bank and it is housed at the former Ionian Bank building designed by Corfiote architect Ioannis Chronis in about 1840.^[1][2][4][5] In 2000 Ionian Bank merged with Alpha Bank and subsequently the Banknote Museum was renovated and was reopened in 2005.^[1][2] An additional exhibit hall was added showcasing "Ionian Bank Limited" which was a British venture and the first bank to operate in Greek territory.^[1] The museum collection is considered one of the most complete of its kind in the world.^[4]

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknote Museum