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50 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Livres |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Intricate floral and vine border surrounds the central field, which carries Arabic inscriptions identifying the bank and denomination alongside the overprinted date "SYRIE 1939" in Latin script. Two circular guilloche medallions at lower left and right each bear the Arabic numeral denomination "٥٠ ليرة", flanking a central unprinted octagonal panel. Two manuscript signatures appear at left, with bilingual Arabic and French text blocks filling the upper register. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A detailed intaglio vignette occupies the central panel, presenting a view of a domed mosque or mausoleum set within a landscaped courtyard, rendered in green and orange tones against a light background. The upper margin carries the inscriptions "SYRIE", "BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN", and "Cinquante Livres" in serif letterpress. Denomination numerals "50" appear in each corner, and an ornate geometric and arabesque border in green frames the entire composition. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban operated under French Mandatory authority, and by 1938 the political ground was shifting fast — the Alexandretta crisis was already stripping territory from the Syrian mandate, and war in Europe was a near-certainty. Notes from this final pre-war period circulated across a currency zone that would be severely disrupted within two years by the fall of France and the subsequent scramble over Vichy versus Free French control of the Levant.
Janneau & Deloche were a smaller Parisian security printer, not the dominant Banque de France establishment printers, which is worth noting — the mandate authorities were not always using first-tier contractors for these issues.