Catalog
25 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1950 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 25 Livres (25 LBP) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A central vignette presents a view of ancient Roman columned arcades, rendered in fine intaglio engraving, with the denomination numeral 25 in Arabic script flanking the scene on both sides. An oval blank panel occupies the lower left, intended for an underprint or stamp, while Arabic text and a date line with manuscript signatures appear at lower right. The French title legend VINGT CINQ LIVRES LIBANAISES is set in bold letterpress across the top. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | بنك سوريا ولبنان 25 LIVRES خمس وعشرون ليرة لبنانية SÉB. LAURENT FEC. G. BELTRAND SC. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Liban was a French concessionary institution — privately held, nominally independent, but tightly bound to Paris. This series was printed by the Banque de France at a moment when both Syria and Lebanon had just obtained formal independence yet still operated under a currency arrangement the French were reluctant to dissolve. The monetary agreement wasn't terminated until 1948, and notes from this series circulated into that transition period.
Marguerite Dreyfus, who signed her work "Rita," was one of the more accomplished engravers in the Banque de France's atelier during the mid-twentieth century. Beltrand came from a distinguished family of wood engravers, though his work here was in intaglio.