Catalog
100 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Pounds (100 SYP) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse centres on a vignette of the Bank of Beyrouth building, framed within an intricate guilloche border and flanked by arabesque ornamental panels. The bilingual bank title 'BANQUE DE SYRIE' and its Arabic equivalent appear in bold letterpress across the upper field, while 'CENT LIVRES SYRIENNES' and the Arabic denomination are inscribed below the vignette alongside bilingual redemption text and the date 'BEYROUTH le 1er JUILLET 1920'. Two manuscript signatures appear at lower centre, with the numeral '100' printed in green at lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | البنك السوري ليرة سورية CENT LIVRES SYRIENNES L. Syr. 100 |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie was a French-controlled institution operating under the Mandate, and this 100 Livres belongs to the earliest years of that arrangement — the Livre syrienne having replaced the Egyptian pound as the territorial currency in 1920. Bradbury Wilkinson handled much of the prestige banknote printing for British and French colonial administrations alike during this period, which is why a note issued under French mandate authority came out of a London workshop with no particular contradiction at the time.
High-denomination notes from this inaugural series are genuinely rare in any condition. The political instability of the early Mandate period — including the Franco-Syrian War of 1920 — severely disrupted normal distribution channels.