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2 Girushān / Piastres Essai
| Issuer | État du Grand Liban (State of Greater Lebanon) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Piastres (0.02) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device featuring a Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), the national emblem, rendered in high relief with spreading branches and a broad, layered canopy rising from a naturalistic trunk. The Arabic legend دولة لبنان الكَبير arcs across the upper field, while the French legend ETAT DU GRAND LIBAN curves along the lower periphery, both inscriptions forming a continuous bilingual border around the central motif. The design reflects the French Mandate-era neoclassical engraving style associated with the Monnaie de Paris. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic, Latin |
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| Additional information |
Greater Lebanon was proclaimed by French General Henri Gouraud in September 1920, carved out of former Ottoman territory under a League of Nations mandate. The essai coinage of 1925 preceded the formal currency legislation that established the Lebanese pound, and these trial pieces were struck at the Paris Mint to test designs and alloys before committing to full production runs. The aluminium bronze composition was itself under evaluation — France was experimenting with the alloy across several mandate territories simultaneously.
KM#E3 is among the scarcer denominations in the 1925 essai series. Survivor populations are small; most exist in institutional collections rather than private hands.