Greek drachmas worth 240 million euros unclaimed

A record-breaking swap to trim Greece's huge debt this week overshadowed a more modest exchange for now-obsolete drachmas that left the equivalent of 240 million euros unclaimed, a report said on Saturday. Kathimerini daily said nearly 82 billion drachmas ($320 million) in banknotes were unaccounted for when a Bank of Greece deadline for their withdrawal ended on March 1. Drachma coins had been accepted until March 2004.
The newspaper said most of the higher-value banknotes - worth 10,000 and 5,000 drachmas - had been cashed in over the past 10 years, but many 100 and 50-drachma notes were apparently kept as souvenirs by Greeks and millions of tourists that visit the country every year.