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50 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Piastres (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in brown and green tones, the obverse is framed by an intricate Moorish-style geometric guilloche border. The centre-left field is occupied by a large octagonal blank vignette panel flanked by Arabic inscriptions giving the bank name and denomination, with the date 1925 rendered in Arabic script within the central text block. Two manuscript signatures cross the central field, with a serial number in the lower field and engravers' credits 'CL. SERVEAU FEC.' and 'BORNET SC.' at the lower left and right corners respectively. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | GRAND-LIBAN CINQUANTE PIASTRES REMBOURSABLE AU PORTEUR EN CHÈQUE SUR PARIS OU MARSEILLE À RAISON DE VINGT FRANCS PAR LIVRE 50 PIASTRES BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN CL. SERVEAU FEC. BORNET SC. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was itself a French concession instrument — a private institution operating under Mandate authority, with the Banque de France handling production. Clément Serveau was a prolific designer of French colonial note series in this period, and Paul Bornet's engraving work appears across multiple Banque de France commissions of the 1920s; the pairing was reliable, not exceptional.
What matters more is the political moment: 1925 was the year the Great Syrian Revolt erupted against French Mandate rule, and these notes entered circulation into that instability. The Syrian pound had only just been introduced the prior year, replacing the Egyptian pound as the official unit.