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| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Livres |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse carries a central intaglio vignette of a grand colonnaded Levantine edifice enclosed within Moorish arched borders and geometric guilloche panels in teal, pink, and ochre. The issuer's name "BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN" runs across the top, a red overprint cartouche reading "LIBAN" appears below it, and the denomination "CINQ LIVRES" is set in a panel at the foot above a French redemption clause; the numeral 5 occupies both upper corners in green. The engraver credit "J. DEMARCQ FEC. HOURRIEZ SC." is present in small letterpress at the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN LIBAN CINQ LIVRES REMBOURSABLES AU PORTEUR EN CHEQUE SUR PARIS OU MARSEILLE A RAISON DE VINGT FRANCS PAR LIVRE J. DEMARCQ FEC. HOURRIEZ SC. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was a French-chartered institution operating under the mandate system, and by 1939 its days were effectively numbered — the mandate itself was being wound down politically, and the outbreak of war would accelerate the institutional rupture between Syria and Lebanon. This note was printed at the Banque de France's own workshops in Paris, a prestige arrangement that reflects the issuing bank's colonial-era relationship with French monetary infrastructure rather than any local printing capacity.
Soulas was among the more accomplished intaglio engravers working for the Banque de France in this period. Hourriez handled the reverse. The pairing was typical of how the BdF divided labor across complex multi-color intaglio jobs.