Catalog
10 Lire
| Issuer | Military Authority in Tripolitania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943-1951 |
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| Value | 10 Lire |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ١٠ ISSUED BY THE MILITARY AUTHORITY IN TRIPOLITANIA TEN LIRE 10 LIRE طبع بأمر السلطة العسكرية لطرابلس الغرب (Translation: 10) |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in purple on a pale blue guilloche underprint and centres on a large ornamental panel enclosing the numeral 10 above the word LIRE in bold intaglio-style lettering, surrounded by intricate scrollwork and foliate arabesques. The overall composition is symmetrical, with decorative cornerpieces and a fine lathe-work background filling the field. No additional inscriptions appear on this side. |
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| Comments |
The Military Authority in Tripolitania was the British administration established over the former Italian colony following the North African campaign. These notes were issued as military currency to manage the local economy under occupation — a zone that remained under British control from 1943 until Libyan independence in 1951, which accounts for the unusually long validity window for a military issue.
The series draws directly from British Armed Forces and Military Authority printing conventions of the period, produced to circulate alongside, and eventually displace, the Italian colonial lira. Tripolitania's notes were not interchangeable with equivalent issues for Cyrenaica or the Fezzan, each zone having its own separate currency administration.