Commemorative Gold drachma 2000

Mintage	10,000
Diameter	24.00 mm
Fineness	Gold 916.7/1000 (22K) Proof
Weight	8.5 grams
Price	€230

On February 26, 2002, the Finance Ministry announced its intention to issue a series of 10,000 commemorative gold drachmas after the Greek currency was finally withdrawn from circulation. The gold coin resembles the last one-drachma coin ever to circulate, with a sailing ship on one side and the head of Greek independence war heroine Bouboulina on the other. The coins are made of 916.7/1000 gold, weigh 8.5 grams and have a diameter of 24 millimeters. The quality of the minting is "proof", the highest in modern numismatic art and the coins are accompanied by individually numbered certificates of authenticity issued by the Bank of Greece. The gold drachma is contained in a transparent coin holder, which allows both sides of the coin to be examined and is placed inside a separeate plastic case.

Following the finance ministry's announcement, Bank of Greece issued only one golden drachma per person for the price of 230 euros (VAT 18% included). In order to ensure that the coins would not end up in the hands of only a few coin dealers, the bank required that the id of each person receiving the coin would have to be shown, a practice that helped the situation but did not fully accomplish its mission. It is worth mentioning that although the date on the coin is 2000, the gold drachmas were actually issued two years later. The bank started taking orders on March 4, 2002 and continued until the entire issue was covered.