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5 Piastres
| Issuer | Egyptian Government (Ministry of Treasury) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958-1960 |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Red-lilac to violet note with an intaglio vignette of Queen Nefertiti in right profile at the right, set within a finely engraved guilloche border. Arabic inscriptions of the United Arab Republic title and denomination appear at centre and top, with a large oval underprint at left bearing the Minister of Treasury's signature below. The serial number is rendered in both Arabic-Indic and Western numerals along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Brown on pale underprint, with a large ornate guilloche rosette at left enclosing the numeral '5' above the inscription 'PIASTRES', and a large numeral '5' guilloche underprint at centre-right. The title 'EGYPTIAN CURRENCY NOTE' arcs along the lower portion in bold letterpress, with 'ISSUED UNDER LAW No. 50/1940' printed at top centre. Arabic text of the United Arab Republic title appears at upper centre, and the printer's imprint 'SURVEY OF EGYPT' is set along the bottom margin. |
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| Comments |
The watermark progression on this note documents the political timeline of the United Arab Republic almost incidentally. Egypt's union with Syria was declared in February 1958, and the switch from eagle watermarks to "UAR" script — appearing in both Arabic and Latin characters — reflects the administrative scramble to align currency identity with the new state. The shift happened mid-series, which is why the same Pick number spans eagle and UAR watermark varieties across overlapping series prefixes.
The color difference between red-violet and lilac in the UAR watermark issues is subtle enough that it is frequently overlooked at point of sale, yet it marks a distinct printing run. Survey of Egypt handled the entire production in-house throughout.