Catalog
5 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919-1920 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The central vignette presents a panoramic view of the ruins of Baalbek at lower centre, engraved in green intaglio over a fine guilloche underprint. Bilingual French and Arabic inscriptions appear in the upper register, with the place and date of issue 'BEYROUTH le 1er Aout 1919' at centre, flanked by arabesque ornamental devices; numeral '5' counters occupy each corner. A serial number in the format N° A/Z appears at centre-right, with manuscript signatures of the Administrateur-Délégué and Le Directeur positioned at lower left and right respectively. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | البنك السوري PIASTRES 5 SYRIENNES BRADBURY-WILKINSON & CO LTD GRAVEURS LONDRES |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie was established by French interests following the post-WWI partition of the former Ottoman territories, and this note belongs to the very first series it issued — P#1 in the Syria catalog. The institution operated under a French mandate concession, functioning as both a commercial and note-issuing bank at a moment when the political status of the territory was still being actively contested between French and Arab nationalist forces.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled a substantial portion of British colonial and mandate currency printing in this period, and their involvement here reflects French reliance on established London security printers rather than domestic facilities for the new series.