Catalog
10 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1930 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 185 x 115 mm |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in green, brown and orange tones, with a dense floral guilloche border running the full perimeter. The central vignette presents an engraved view of ancient Roman ruins, identified as the Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek, set against a cloudy sky, with the denomination numeral 10 repeated in each corner. The issuer's name BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN and the title DIX LIVRES are inscribed in French lettering across the top and bottom of the central panel respectively. |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was a French-chartered concessionary bank — not a state central bank — granted the right of issue under the Mandate regime. Its notes circulated across both Syria and Greater Lebanon, territories administered separately but sharing a common currency, the Syrian-Lebanese pound pegged to the French franc at a fixed rate established in 1924.
Imprimerie Nationale was the official French state printing house, the same institution responsible for French government securities and official documents. Its involvement here reflects the Mandate's tight metropolitan control over financial infrastructure in the Levant.
By 1930 the franc peg was already creating pressure, as France's post-stabilization currency had significantly appreciated against regional trading partners.