5 Piastres

The Survey of Egypt — better known as a cartographic agency — printed Egyptian government notes for decades, a pragmatic arrangement that dated back to the interwar period when establishing a dedicated security press was not a priority. By 1952, that institutional arrangement was well entrenched, if unusual by international standards.

This particular issue falls in the final year of King Farouk's reign before the Free Officers' Revolution of July 1952 deposed him. Notes of this type crossed the transition without immediate withdrawal — the new government had larger monetary concerns than retiring small-denomination paper.