50 Livres

The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was a French mandate institution — a concession bank operating under a 1919 agreement with the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. By 1938, the political ground was shifting fast: Syrian nationalists were pushing hard for independence, and the French had just suspended the 1936 Franco-Syrian Treaty that was supposed to end the mandate. Notes issued in this period circulated under genuine political strain, with the bank's authority increasingly contested.

Bradbury, Wilkinson produced high-quality intaglio work for numerous colonial and mandate issuers during this period, and the 12G series reflects that standard. The 50 Livres denomination was not everyday pocket money — at this value, notes were predominantly used in commercial and interbank transactions rather than retail circulation, which typically means survivors show less mechanical wear but more folding from ledger storage.