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5 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1950 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in brown and presents a detailed intaglio vignette of Krak des Chevaliers, the medieval Crusader fortress, occupying the central field. The denomination 'CINQ PIASTRES' is lettered in bold across a panel below the country title 'REPUBLIQUE LIBANAISE' at top, with numeral '5' counters at each corner within the ruled border. |
| Reverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE LIBANAISE CINQ PIASTRES 5 PIASTRES |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Liban was a Franco-Lebanese institution operating under French Mandate concession rights — rights that were becoming increasingly untenable by 1950, with Lebanon fully independent since 1943 and Syria since 1946. The bank retained its note-issuing privilege in Lebanon until 1964, when the Banque du Liban finally assumed central banking functions. This note exists in that awkward interregnum: a colonial-era private bank still printing currency for a sovereign republic.
Bradbury Wilkinson's engraved work for this series is technically accomplished. The 5 Piastres denomination — fractional by this point in everyday commerce — had limited practical use by 1950 given post-war inflation, which likely suppressed circulation volumes.