Catalog
100 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919-1920 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE SYRIE البنك السوري CENT PIASTRES OU UNE LIVRE SYRIENNE مئة قرش أو ليرة سورية REMBOURSABLE AU PORTEUR EN CHÈQUE SUR PARIS À RAISON DE VINGT CENTIMES FRANÇAIS PAR PIASTRE SYRIENNE 100 PIASTRES SYRIENNES LE SECRÉTAIRE GÉNÉRAL أمين السر العام LE DIRECTEUR المدير |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a central vignette of a panoramic city view, framed within an ornate engraved cartouche with fine guilloche latticework filling the background. Two tall decorative pillars with horse motifs flank the upper portion of the design, with the Arabic bank title 'البنك السوري' appearing in a panel at the top centre. The denomination '100' is repeated in each corner, with vertical guilloche bands running along both lateral margins. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie was established under a French concession in 1919, following the collapse of Ottoman administrative and monetary structures at the end of the First World War. This note belongs to the bank's inaugural issue — the first paper currency circulated under the new French Mandatory framework, though the mandate itself wasn't formally recognized by the League of Nations until 1922. Bradbury Wilkinson, who handled the printing in London, was at this time one of the most technically accomplished security printers working outside the intaglio-heavy continental tradition.
The piastre denomination links directly to the Ottoman monetary system it was partially displacing — a deliberate continuity of unit that eased public acceptance during a politically volatile transition.