25 Ghirshā / Piastres

Lebanon's early coinage under the French Mandate was administered through the Banque de Syrie et du Liban, a privately held institution that effectively controlled monetary policy across both Syria and Lebanon as a single currency zone. The 25-piastre denomination circulated in a region still absorbing the shock of the post-Ottoman currency transition, where French colonial financial interests and local merchant practices frequently collided. The .680 fineness reflects a deliberate reduction from earlier Ottoman silver standards — France had little incentive to issue high-purity coin in a mandate territory.