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1 Ghirsh / Piastre WW2 Emergency Coinage
| Issuer | Syria |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | SYRIE 1 PIASTRE (Translation: Syria 1 Piastre) |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Syria in 1941 was under the administration of Vichy France, and the Allied invasion that June — Operation Exporter — severed normal supply chains for coinage metal. These brass pieces were struck as an emergency measure under the Free French administration that replaced the Vichy regime, filling an acute shortage of small change across the Levant. The Banque de Syrie et du Liban, which had managed currency issuance under the French Mandate, continued operating through the transition.
Brass was substituted for the aluminum-bronze used in prewar issues — a distinction that matters for attribution, as the two can appear similar under heavy patina.