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10 Livres SYRIE 1939
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by the bold overprint 'SYRIE 1939' at top centre, applied in letterpress over the original note design. An octagonal blank reserve panel occupies the left field, flanked by Arabic inscriptions and ornamental arabesque borders. Two manuscript signatures appear in the lower central area, with serial numbers and prefix letters at the four corners within a richly decorated geometric frame. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a central vignette of the ancient Venus Temple ruins at Baalbek, rendered in fine intaglio engraving with atmospheric cloud work above the standing columns. The denomination '10' appears in each corner within the ornate guilloche border, and the title panel below the vignette bears the principal inscriptions. An octagonal blank panel to the right mirrors the obverse composition, framed by an elaborate geometric and floral border in terracotta and blue tones. |
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| Comments |
By 1939, the Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was operating on borrowed time. France's League of Nations mandate over Syria and Lebanon was politically contested, and war in Europe was already foreclosing any serious monetary reform. This note — one of the later printings of a design family that had been in use since the early 1920s — was printed by the Banque de France in Paris, which handled the mandate territories' currency production throughout the interwar period.
Serveau's design was engraved by Ernest Deloche, one of the Banque de France's most accomplished intaglio engravers of the period. The P#39C designation distinguishes this from earlier printings of the same face value that differ in signature combinations.