Libya's first independent banknote series, issued in 1952 by the newly established National Bank of Libya, came just months after the country achieved independence in December 1951 under King Idris I — the first new African state created under UN auspices. Thomas De La Rue handled the entire series, a common arrangement for newly independent states lacking domestic printing infrastructure.
The 10 Piastres was the lowest denomination in the series, circulating alongside larger pound-denominated notes. Pick 13 is the scarcer of the piastre notes; the denomination saw heavy everyday use and surviving examples in decent condition are consistently harder to find than the higher values.
Libya's first independent banknote series, issued in 1952 by the newly established National Bank of Libya, came just months after the country achieved independence in December 1951 under King Idris I — the first new African state created under UN auspices. Thomas De La Rue handled the entire series, a common arrangement for newly independent states lacking domestic printing infrastructure.
The 10 Piastres was the lowest denomination in the series, circulating alongside larger pound-denominated notes. Pick 13 is the scarcer of the piastre notes; the denomination saw heavy everyday use and surviving examples in decent condition are consistently harder to find than the higher values.