Catalog
10 Livres Syriennes
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Livres Syriennes |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a central vignette of ancient Roman ruins, identified as the Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek, rendered in a landscape vignette in green and brown intaglio with a mountainous background. An octagonal guilloche panel occupies the right side, and the denomination '١٠' appears in small cartouches at the upper corners. The note is framed by an elaborate floral and rosette border, with the Arabic inscription 'عشر ليرات سورية' at the lower centre and the bank name 'بنك سوريا ولبنان' at the upper centre. |
| Reverse lettering | بنك سوريا ولبنان عشر ليرات سورية ١٠ |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Liban occupied an awkward position by 1949 — Syria had declared independence in 1946, yet this French-chartered institution continued issuing currency for both Syria and Lebanon simultaneously, a legacy of the Mandate period that neither new government was fully satisfied with. Syria finally established its own central bank and severed ties with the BSL in 1956.
Printed at the Banque de France's own facilities in Paris, the note carries that institution's characteristically fine intaglio work. The cotton substrate and single watermark are modest security for the period, though the BSL generally relied on print quality as its primary deterrent against forgery.