Catalog
100 Riyals
| Issuer | Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in red on a multicolour guilloche underprint, the obverse presents a central vignette of a large government building complex set within landscaped grounds, flanked on both sides by ornate decorative column motifs. The Saudi Arabian coat of arms — palm tree above crossed swords — appears at lower centre between two manuscript signatures, with Arabic legends above including the issuer name and the denomination مائة ريال. A geometric lozenge pattern forms the background underprint across the full field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse, printed in red on a light multicolour guilloche ground, carries a detailed intaglio vignette of an oil refinery and drilling complex occupying the full central field, with industrial structures, distillation towers, pipelines, and a tall oil derrick at right centre. Denomination numerals 100 appear within ornate rosette cartouches at lower left and upper right. The English legends SAUDI ARABIAN MONETARY AGENCY and ONE HUNDRED RIYALS are inscribed at the top and bottom respectively. |
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| Comments |
P#15 is the first 100 Riyal note issued under SAMA, appearing just five years after the Agency gained sole authority over currency issuance following the abolition of the Saudi Arabian Currency Board in 1952. The denomination was a significant one for a country still consolidating its monetary infrastructure around oil revenues that were only beginning to reshape the economy in earnest.
Thomas De La Rue's involvement was unsurprising — they held Saudi printing contracts across multiple early series. The watermark is the primary security feature, a telling sign of how early this sits in Saudi Arabia's paper money history.